Being A Donaghy [30 Rock; Jack/Liz]
TITLE: Being A Donaghy
CHAPTER 24: After All
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
"Lemon! Liz, darling..."
Liz glanced up from her laptop to see her husband coming through the door of her office, grinning a mile wide and holding two bottles of what was most likely champagne. She grinned right back at him. She kinda couldn't help it -- when he grinned like that, it was downright infectious. "Root beer float?" she questioned, indicating his giddy state.
"No," he smiled back, much like he had a year ago when he was excited about contract negotiation. "I just got word from Geiss... I've been doing such a fantastic job -- and by 'fantastic job,' I mean there haven't been any firework catastrophes..."
She nodded. "Which is always good..."
"Yes! I received word that they're promoting me. Again! I'm now Vice President of East Coast Television, Microwave Oven, and Toaster Oven Programming!"
Her eyebrows flew up. "Wow, Jack. That's... great?"
Jack swooped down excitedly to give her a kiss. "And it's all because of you!" He took a seat on the corner of her desk, one foot still planted on the floor while the other dangled over the edge of the desk. He leaned toward her slightly. "What would I do without you?"
Liz smirked and twitched her brows upward momentarily, turning back to her laptop. "Well, you'd have to learn how to program the Season Pass function on TiVo all by yourself."
"Oh, Lemon." He grasped her hand and pulled her gently to her feet, closing his hands around her hips and bringing her close. "Look at us. Happily married, loving life..." He tilted his head and cast his eyes to her hair. "Minimal amounts of food in our hair..."
Liz rolled her eyes and casually draped her forearms over his shoulders. "Yes, yes, yes." When she was finished rolling her eyes melodramatically, she caught Jack grinning at her. Her eyes widened. "What?"
"It looks good on you."
Liz glanced down at her outfit briefly -- a simple blue empire-waisted dress. He'd seen her in it a thousand times. What the hell was he talking about? "What does?"
"Marriage. Everything." He slid his hand across her stomach and grinned devilishly when she jumped away and batted at his hand.
"Will you stop that already? You're obsessed."
"I can't help it."
"Well, try to," she chuckled, shaking her head at him.
It had been three months since she'd ripped up the annulment papers; three months since she finally admitted to herself that -- as insane as Jack made her -- she couldn't help but love him. And it hadn't been easy, letting Jack in. She'd been "single and pretending to be happy about it" (in his words) for so long. And despite her sporadic relationships, she'd never experienced what this was -- a partnership, in pretty much every sense of the word.
Jack still drove her insane. And she still baffled him with some of her highly-unfeminine ways, but in a weird way... it worked. Perfectly. Maybe a little too perfectly. Liz had been waiting for the other shoe to drop for three months, but... nothing yet.
Jack kissed her again and she kissed back, laying her palms over his face as he slid his hands over her waist, brushing her stomach along the way. She figured no matter what, he'd never tire of touching her stomach. It was weird... but kinda sweet.
"I figured we could have a drink to celebrate."
"Jack, it's ten-thirty in the morning. And you know that I--"
He held up one of the two bottles. "I brought sparkling pear juice for you."
Her eyes lit up. "Oooh, okay."
Jack pulled two champagne flutes out of one of the inside pockets of his suit jacket, and Liz shook her head at him, chuckling while he poured one glass of champagne and one of sparkling pear juice. He handed her the juice and raised his champagne glass, toasting, "To me."
Liz laughed and rolled her eyes, but clinked her glass against his nonetheless. "Yes, to you." She leaned in for a kiss and let him wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Congratulations."
It was at that moment that Jenna and Pete came in, arguing about yet another sketch and effectively breaking Jack and Liz out of their embrace. "Liz, tell Pete that I don't want to be Paris Hilton again! I'm getting typecast."
Pete rolled his eyes melodramatically and gestured to Jenna. "Liz, tell Jenna that she's the only blonde on the show, so we really don't have much of a choice! Josh as Paris Hilton would be ugly as hell."
"I don't wanna wear the nose!" Jenna stomped her foot childishly.
Then, at the same time, both seemed to notice that Jack was in the room. "Oh! Hi, Jack." Jenna smiled brightly, while Pete nodded a greeting.
"Good morning." Jack rose to his feet and took another sip of his champagne. He gestured, with the hand that held his glass, between Jenna and Pete as he asked them, "What's this scuffle all about?"
"Oh! Nothing," Jenna dismissed the argument with a flick of her wrist. "I'll do the sketch, it's fine. And I'll wear the nose."
Jack nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes in the manner so unique to him. "Good."
Then, Jenna's eyes went to the bottles on the desk. "Whoa, what are those for? Can I have some? Liz, what are you having?"
Liz held up her glass after taking another healthy sip. "I've got sparkling pear juice, and Jack's got champagne. You guys can have some, right Jack?"
"Absolutely." He nodded to Pete. "Would you go grab some styrofoam cups from the writer's room, Pete?"
"Sure thing." Pete returned seconds later with two cups, which Jack filled with champagne for him and Jenna.
"Why aren't you having champagne?" Jenna enquired of her friend, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Are you pregnant?"
Liz rolled her eyes. Another thing she had to get used to over the past three months -- Jenna needling her endlessly about when she and Jack were going to "start making little Jack-and-Liz babies, because time's running out, Liz."
She sighed and reminded her friend, "It's ten-thirty in the morning."
Jenna rolled her eyes in return. "Oh, whatever. It's not like we operate heavy machinery or anything," she giggled, taking a gulp of champagne. She raised her glass to Liz. "Drink, you freak!"
Jack held up his hand to calm the overzealous blonde. "Liz does not want any alcohol this early in the morning, Jenna. But feel free to drink as much as you'd like. We're celebrating my promotion."
Pete raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his own champagne, shoving his other hand in his pocket and rocking back and forth on his feet momentarily. "Really? Congratulations. What did you get promoted to?"
"They've put me in charge of Toaster Ovens now, as well. I'm thrilled."
Pete nodded and looked slightly confused, especially since Jack still looked stoic as always.
Liz nodded and pointed at her husband while taking another sip. "He really is. This is him being ecstatic. You should see him when he has a root beer float."
"O...kay. I think I should get back to writing now. Jenna?"
"What? Can't I stay? It's not like they're going to have sex in here as soon as we leave!" She eyed Jack and Liz, grimacing. "Right?" She pointed at her best friend and squinted, scrutinizing. "I still think you're pregnant. I mean... who drinks sparkling pear juice in the middle of the morning when there's champagne around?"
Liz and Pete exchanged a look, and Pete nodded and started guiding Jenna to the door while Liz answered, "People who are not alcoholics. Goodbye, Jenna." She smirked at Pete. "Bye, Pete."
Pete winked, and they were out the door.
Liz sighed and shook her head at the closed door, then went back over to her husband, behind her desk. "Sorry."
"You're always apologizing for Jenna, Liz. I enjoy her. I would've fired her a year ago if I didn't."
"Oh. Well..." She wrinkled her nose. "Uh, thanks?"
Jack nodded. "Of course, Lemon. Of course." He glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder, checking for prying ears, before he turned back to his wife with a barely-there grin. "They don't know?"
Liz drained the last few drops of pear juice from her glass and gestured to the door with it when she was done. "Pete does."
"Not Jenna?"
"No!" She shook her head vehemently. "Are you kidding? She's been bugging me since I got back from Hawaii." She rolled her eyes exhaustedly. "It would make her way too happy. Plus, Pete can actually keep a secret. With Jenna, it'd be all over 30 Rock." She tilted her head and shrugged facially, adding, "Possibly on Entertainment Tonight."
"Ah." Jack nodded and pulled her against him again, kissing her briefly before releasing her. He took the bottles and empty glasses with him, and addressed her over his shoulder on the way out. "When were you planning on telling her?"
Liz took a seat and opened her laptop again, waving dismissively and wrinkling her nose. "Meh, I figure... maybe in a few more months."
Jack paused with his hand on the doorknob, eyebrows raised. "A few more months, Lemon, and your abdomen will be roughly the size of a bowling ball. You're already starting to show."
"Yeah, and Jenna hasn't noticed. What will a few more months do?"
Jack chuckled. "Fair enough," he rasped, and waved at her on his way out, calling, "See you at home then, Lemon!"
"Yep," she called back, and found herself smiling at her computer screen as she echoed softly, "See you at home."
In just a year, she'd gone from being the disgruntled protege of Jack Donaghy, to his friend, to his partner, to his fake fiancee, to his fake wife, to his real wife, and... in his words... the "completely unintentional love of his life." And in just another six-and-a-half months, she would be the mother of his first child.
She smiled down at her wedding ring and twisted it on her finger. Life had moved at warp speed for her over the past several months, but... Liz was starting to like that feeling.
Being a Donaghy wasn't so bad after all.
THE END!!!
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}
CHAPTER 24: After All
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
"Lemon! Liz, darling..."
Liz glanced up from her laptop to see her husband coming through the door of her office, grinning a mile wide and holding two bottles of what was most likely champagne. She grinned right back at him. She kinda couldn't help it -- when he grinned like that, it was downright infectious. "Root beer float?" she questioned, indicating his giddy state.
"No," he smiled back, much like he had a year ago when he was excited about contract negotiation. "I just got word from Geiss... I've been doing such a fantastic job -- and by 'fantastic job,' I mean there haven't been any firework catastrophes..."
She nodded. "Which is always good..."
"Yes! I received word that they're promoting me. Again! I'm now Vice President of East Coast Television, Microwave Oven, and Toaster Oven Programming!"
Her eyebrows flew up. "Wow, Jack. That's... great?"
Jack swooped down excitedly to give her a kiss. "And it's all because of you!" He took a seat on the corner of her desk, one foot still planted on the floor while the other dangled over the edge of the desk. He leaned toward her slightly. "What would I do without you?"
Liz smirked and twitched her brows upward momentarily, turning back to her laptop. "Well, you'd have to learn how to program the Season Pass function on TiVo all by yourself."
"Oh, Lemon." He grasped her hand and pulled her gently to her feet, closing his hands around her hips and bringing her close. "Look at us. Happily married, loving life..." He tilted his head and cast his eyes to her hair. "Minimal amounts of food in our hair..."
Liz rolled her eyes and casually draped her forearms over his shoulders. "Yes, yes, yes." When she was finished rolling her eyes melodramatically, she caught Jack grinning at her. Her eyes widened. "What?"
"It looks good on you."
Liz glanced down at her outfit briefly -- a simple blue empire-waisted dress. He'd seen her in it a thousand times. What the hell was he talking about? "What does?"
"Marriage. Everything." He slid his hand across her stomach and grinned devilishly when she jumped away and batted at his hand.
"Will you stop that already? You're obsessed."
"I can't help it."
"Well, try to," she chuckled, shaking her head at him.
It had been three months since she'd ripped up the annulment papers; three months since she finally admitted to herself that -- as insane as Jack made her -- she couldn't help but love him. And it hadn't been easy, letting Jack in. She'd been "single and pretending to be happy about it" (in his words) for so long. And despite her sporadic relationships, she'd never experienced what this was -- a partnership, in pretty much every sense of the word.
Jack still drove her insane. And she still baffled him with some of her highly-unfeminine ways, but in a weird way... it worked. Perfectly. Maybe a little too perfectly. Liz had been waiting for the other shoe to drop for three months, but... nothing yet.
Jack kissed her again and she kissed back, laying her palms over his face as he slid his hands over her waist, brushing her stomach along the way. She figured no matter what, he'd never tire of touching her stomach. It was weird... but kinda sweet.
"I figured we could have a drink to celebrate."
"Jack, it's ten-thirty in the morning. And you know that I--"
He held up one of the two bottles. "I brought sparkling pear juice for you."
Her eyes lit up. "Oooh, okay."
Jack pulled two champagne flutes out of one of the inside pockets of his suit jacket, and Liz shook her head at him, chuckling while he poured one glass of champagne and one of sparkling pear juice. He handed her the juice and raised his champagne glass, toasting, "To me."
Liz laughed and rolled her eyes, but clinked her glass against his nonetheless. "Yes, to you." She leaned in for a kiss and let him wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Congratulations."
It was at that moment that Jenna and Pete came in, arguing about yet another sketch and effectively breaking Jack and Liz out of their embrace. "Liz, tell Pete that I don't want to be Paris Hilton again! I'm getting typecast."
Pete rolled his eyes melodramatically and gestured to Jenna. "Liz, tell Jenna that she's the only blonde on the show, so we really don't have much of a choice! Josh as Paris Hilton would be ugly as hell."
"I don't wanna wear the nose!" Jenna stomped her foot childishly.
Then, at the same time, both seemed to notice that Jack was in the room. "Oh! Hi, Jack." Jenna smiled brightly, while Pete nodded a greeting.
"Good morning." Jack rose to his feet and took another sip of his champagne. He gestured, with the hand that held his glass, between Jenna and Pete as he asked them, "What's this scuffle all about?"
"Oh! Nothing," Jenna dismissed the argument with a flick of her wrist. "I'll do the sketch, it's fine. And I'll wear the nose."
Jack nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes in the manner so unique to him. "Good."
Then, Jenna's eyes went to the bottles on the desk. "Whoa, what are those for? Can I have some? Liz, what are you having?"
Liz held up her glass after taking another healthy sip. "I've got sparkling pear juice, and Jack's got champagne. You guys can have some, right Jack?"
"Absolutely." He nodded to Pete. "Would you go grab some styrofoam cups from the writer's room, Pete?"
"Sure thing." Pete returned seconds later with two cups, which Jack filled with champagne for him and Jenna.
"Why aren't you having champagne?" Jenna enquired of her friend, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Are you pregnant?"
Liz rolled her eyes. Another thing she had to get used to over the past three months -- Jenna needling her endlessly about when she and Jack were going to "start making little Jack-and-Liz babies, because time's running out, Liz."
She sighed and reminded her friend, "It's ten-thirty in the morning."
Jenna rolled her eyes in return. "Oh, whatever. It's not like we operate heavy machinery or anything," she giggled, taking a gulp of champagne. She raised her glass to Liz. "Drink, you freak!"
Jack held up his hand to calm the overzealous blonde. "Liz does not want any alcohol this early in the morning, Jenna. But feel free to drink as much as you'd like. We're celebrating my promotion."
Pete raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his own champagne, shoving his other hand in his pocket and rocking back and forth on his feet momentarily. "Really? Congratulations. What did you get promoted to?"
"They've put me in charge of Toaster Ovens now, as well. I'm thrilled."
Pete nodded and looked slightly confused, especially since Jack still looked stoic as always.
Liz nodded and pointed at her husband while taking another sip. "He really is. This is him being ecstatic. You should see him when he has a root beer float."
"O...kay. I think I should get back to writing now. Jenna?"
"What? Can't I stay? It's not like they're going to have sex in here as soon as we leave!" She eyed Jack and Liz, grimacing. "Right?" She pointed at her best friend and squinted, scrutinizing. "I still think you're pregnant. I mean... who drinks sparkling pear juice in the middle of the morning when there's champagne around?"
Liz and Pete exchanged a look, and Pete nodded and started guiding Jenna to the door while Liz answered, "People who are not alcoholics. Goodbye, Jenna." She smirked at Pete. "Bye, Pete."
Pete winked, and they were out the door.
Liz sighed and shook her head at the closed door, then went back over to her husband, behind her desk. "Sorry."
"You're always apologizing for Jenna, Liz. I enjoy her. I would've fired her a year ago if I didn't."
"Oh. Well..." She wrinkled her nose. "Uh, thanks?"
Jack nodded. "Of course, Lemon. Of course." He glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder, checking for prying ears, before he turned back to his wife with a barely-there grin. "They don't know?"
Liz drained the last few drops of pear juice from her glass and gestured to the door with it when she was done. "Pete does."
"Not Jenna?"
"No!" She shook her head vehemently. "Are you kidding? She's been bugging me since I got back from Hawaii." She rolled her eyes exhaustedly. "It would make her way too happy. Plus, Pete can actually keep a secret. With Jenna, it'd be all over 30 Rock." She tilted her head and shrugged facially, adding, "Possibly on Entertainment Tonight."
"Ah." Jack nodded and pulled her against him again, kissing her briefly before releasing her. He took the bottles and empty glasses with him, and addressed her over his shoulder on the way out. "When were you planning on telling her?"
Liz took a seat and opened her laptop again, waving dismissively and wrinkling her nose. "Meh, I figure... maybe in a few more months."
Jack paused with his hand on the doorknob, eyebrows raised. "A few more months, Lemon, and your abdomen will be roughly the size of a bowling ball. You're already starting to show."
"Yeah, and Jenna hasn't noticed. What will a few more months do?"
Jack chuckled. "Fair enough," he rasped, and waved at her on his way out, calling, "See you at home then, Lemon!"
"Yep," she called back, and found herself smiling at her computer screen as she echoed softly, "See you at home."
In just a year, she'd gone from being the disgruntled protege of Jack Donaghy, to his friend, to his partner, to his fake fiancee, to his fake wife, to his real wife, and... in his words... the "completely unintentional love of his life." And in just another six-and-a-half months, she would be the mother of his first child.
She smiled down at her wedding ring and twisted it on her finger. Life had moved at warp speed for her over the past several months, but... Liz was starting to like that feeling.
Being a Donaghy wasn't so bad after all.
THE END!!!
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}