One [The Office; Michael/Jan]
TITLE: One
FANDOM: The Office
PAIRING: Michael/Jan
SPOILERS: My own fic, "All For Show"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
November was an unlikely month for a wedding. But then again, Michael and Jan were a very unlikely couple. That had been glaringly obvious the moment they announced their relationship (and engagement) to the whole office and were met with dead, stunned silence in return. It had been almost a little scary. Like that deafening silence before a really bad storm hits. Which was what happened moments later, only it had been a good kind of storm -- excited yelling, some haphazard clapping, some whooping (from Kevin) and a few cheers of congratulations.
It seemed the cameramen had been the most stunned of all -- Mark had nearly dropped his camera, which amused Michael to no end... and of course made him feel like the most talented, Oscar-worthy actor in the world. Jan was left with the unfortunate task of slowly deflating his oversized ego for the rest of that afternoon.
So together they planned their wedding -- Michael wanted to give her a grand ceremony that would put royal weddings to shame and a lavish reception. Jan had gently reminded him that her last wedding was done at City Hall, and they had merely gone out with a few friends for dinner afterward. Which just made Michael insist all the more that was why she needed a huge wedding. When he told her that she deserved one, she had softly kissed him and consented to the lavish reception -- but she wanted the ceremony itself kept small and quaint.
It wasn't difficult to book a reception in November, due to it being such an unlikely month. September and December were the big wedding months around this time of year, but they had decided together to have the wedding on their actual one-year anniversary -- which Fate had let fall on a Saturday that year. It had been perfect.
Getting ready when it was getting down the wire had been nerve-wracking. Jan didn't remember her stomach somersaulting so much before her first wedding. She gently reminded herself that she must have known in the back of her mind that that one wouldn't last. The butterflies in her stomach this time around were stemming from the knowledge that this one would most definitely last. Forever.
Michael wasn't who she ever would've seen herself with... though looking back now, Jan had to wonder why. She wondered why she had always seen herself going for the stoic Wall Street types that read the New Yorker and waxed poetic about mundane Grisham novels. Men like that were boring. And Michael?
Well, Michael was certainly smart enough to read the New Yorker, he'd proven that much to her over the past year (though he said he never would because he refused to read a magazine where the cartoons made no sense). But Michael was far from boring. He had childlike enthusiasm, and a general excitement for just being awake every day. He was romantic, he was considerate and respectful, and most importantly he loved her beyond words. That was plenty to convince Jan that he was the man for her.
And, Michael wanted a family. It seemed from the moment they got engaged he had been wanting to start a family. So they had agreed that Jan would stop taking her birth control pills. And though nothing had been confirmed yet, for the past week she definitely had been feeling a bit differently, and it hadn't just been the wedding.
"Earth to Jan..."
She came out of her reverie, lifting her head off of Michael's (her husband's -- God, that was so fitting for him already) shoulder. "Hmm?"
He laughed. "Where have you been?"
Furrowing her brow, she replied slowly, "Right... here?"
"Your body, maybe, but I've been saying your name for the past thirty seconds and I got no answer. Were you sleeping?"
"No, Michael," she chuckled, leaning her forehead on his shoulder again while they slow-danced. "Just thinking."
"'Bout what?"
She smiled against him -- yes, he was definitely childlike. "Just... lots of things."
"Good things, I hope."
"Definitely, Michael."
"So..." He pulled back gently and searched her eyes while Elton John sang their wedding song -- 'The One' -- in the background, flowing through the DJ's speakers. "This is kind of awkward, but... we haven't even talked about a honeymoon yet. Was I supposed to surprise you with something?"
She smiled. "No, Michael. I know we haven't talked about it, and--"
"I mean I tried to bring it up the other day but you said you didn't feel good, so I just kinda let it drop."
"Yeah... about that, Michael, and about the honeymoon... I think we might need to wait a bit."
He nodded. "Okay, sure. Whatever you want. Is it because you're sick?"
Jan cut her eyes to the side, the barest hint of a smile twitching at the corners of her lips as she told him, "I don't know that I'm necessarily sick, Michael." She met his eyes. "Remember how I stopped taking my pills?"
"Yeah. Because we wanna have kids."
"Right."
Ditzy, on-camera Michael would've asked several inane questions all with brows furrowed. This Michael, the real Michael (her Michael) stared quizzically at her for just a moment before his eyebrows shot up with realization. "Oh. Oh! Oh wow. Really?"
"I don't know. Maybe. I just... have been feeling differently over the past week. Really tired and nauseous and--"
"You're sure it's not just nerves?" He cracked a smile. "From being stuck with me for the rest of your life?"
She giggled. "That's a big part of it, Michael," she teased, and grinned a little wider at the half-hearted glare he gave her in return. "But... I don't know how to explain it other than just... something's different. So, until we know for sure, I'm thinking maybe we should postpone the honeymoon for a bit."
"Okay. Yeah, yeah that sounds good." His voice was quiet, but the light in his eyes was unmistakable -- Michael was elated.
Jan couldn't help but be elated too. She finally married the right man -- not exactly the man she'd always dreamed of being with, but the right man -- and she was quite possibly getting started on a family with him. She finally felt whole; they were one.
It really wasn't the loneliest number anymore.
FIN
{x-posted to michaelandjan}
FANDOM: The Office
PAIRING: Michael/Jan
SPOILERS: My own fic, "All For Show"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
November was an unlikely month for a wedding. But then again, Michael and Jan were a very unlikely couple. That had been glaringly obvious the moment they announced their relationship (and engagement) to the whole office and were met with dead, stunned silence in return. It had been almost a little scary. Like that deafening silence before a really bad storm hits. Which was what happened moments later, only it had been a good kind of storm -- excited yelling, some haphazard clapping, some whooping (from Kevin) and a few cheers of congratulations.
It seemed the cameramen had been the most stunned of all -- Mark had nearly dropped his camera, which amused Michael to no end... and of course made him feel like the most talented, Oscar-worthy actor in the world. Jan was left with the unfortunate task of slowly deflating his oversized ego for the rest of that afternoon.
So together they planned their wedding -- Michael wanted to give her a grand ceremony that would put royal weddings to shame and a lavish reception. Jan had gently reminded him that her last wedding was done at City Hall, and they had merely gone out with a few friends for dinner afterward. Which just made Michael insist all the more that was why she needed a huge wedding. When he told her that she deserved one, she had softly kissed him and consented to the lavish reception -- but she wanted the ceremony itself kept small and quaint.
It wasn't difficult to book a reception in November, due to it being such an unlikely month. September and December were the big wedding months around this time of year, but they had decided together to have the wedding on their actual one-year anniversary -- which Fate had let fall on a Saturday that year. It had been perfect.
Getting ready when it was getting down the wire had been nerve-wracking. Jan didn't remember her stomach somersaulting so much before her first wedding. She gently reminded herself that she must have known in the back of her mind that that one wouldn't last. The butterflies in her stomach this time around were stemming from the knowledge that this one would most definitely last. Forever.
Michael wasn't who she ever would've seen herself with... though looking back now, Jan had to wonder why. She wondered why she had always seen herself going for the stoic Wall Street types that read the New Yorker and waxed poetic about mundane Grisham novels. Men like that were boring. And Michael?
Well, Michael was certainly smart enough to read the New Yorker, he'd proven that much to her over the past year (though he said he never would because he refused to read a magazine where the cartoons made no sense). But Michael was far from boring. He had childlike enthusiasm, and a general excitement for just being awake every day. He was romantic, he was considerate and respectful, and most importantly he loved her beyond words. That was plenty to convince Jan that he was the man for her.
And, Michael wanted a family. It seemed from the moment they got engaged he had been wanting to start a family. So they had agreed that Jan would stop taking her birth control pills. And though nothing had been confirmed yet, for the past week she definitely had been feeling a bit differently, and it hadn't just been the wedding.
"Earth to Jan..."
She came out of her reverie, lifting her head off of Michael's (her husband's -- God, that was so fitting for him already) shoulder. "Hmm?"
He laughed. "Where have you been?"
Furrowing her brow, she replied slowly, "Right... here?"
"Your body, maybe, but I've been saying your name for the past thirty seconds and I got no answer. Were you sleeping?"
"No, Michael," she chuckled, leaning her forehead on his shoulder again while they slow-danced. "Just thinking."
"'Bout what?"
She smiled against him -- yes, he was definitely childlike. "Just... lots of things."
"Good things, I hope."
"Definitely, Michael."
"So..." He pulled back gently and searched her eyes while Elton John sang their wedding song -- 'The One' -- in the background, flowing through the DJ's speakers. "This is kind of awkward, but... we haven't even talked about a honeymoon yet. Was I supposed to surprise you with something?"
She smiled. "No, Michael. I know we haven't talked about it, and--"
"I mean I tried to bring it up the other day but you said you didn't feel good, so I just kinda let it drop."
"Yeah... about that, Michael, and about the honeymoon... I think we might need to wait a bit."
He nodded. "Okay, sure. Whatever you want. Is it because you're sick?"
Jan cut her eyes to the side, the barest hint of a smile twitching at the corners of her lips as she told him, "I don't know that I'm necessarily sick, Michael." She met his eyes. "Remember how I stopped taking my pills?"
"Yeah. Because we wanna have kids."
"Right."
Ditzy, on-camera Michael would've asked several inane questions all with brows furrowed. This Michael, the real Michael (her Michael) stared quizzically at her for just a moment before his eyebrows shot up with realization. "Oh. Oh! Oh wow. Really?"
"I don't know. Maybe. I just... have been feeling differently over the past week. Really tired and nauseous and--"
"You're sure it's not just nerves?" He cracked a smile. "From being stuck with me for the rest of your life?"
She giggled. "That's a big part of it, Michael," she teased, and grinned a little wider at the half-hearted glare he gave her in return. "But... I don't know how to explain it other than just... something's different. So, until we know for sure, I'm thinking maybe we should postpone the honeymoon for a bit."
"Okay. Yeah, yeah that sounds good." His voice was quiet, but the light in his eyes was unmistakable -- Michael was elated.
Jan couldn't help but be elated too. She finally married the right man -- not exactly the man she'd always dreamed of being with, but the right man -- and she was quite possibly getting started on a family with him. She finally felt whole; they were one.
It really wasn't the loneliest number anymore.
FIN
{x-posted to michaelandjan}