Being A Donaghy [30 Rock; Jack/Liz]
TITLE: Being A Donaghy
CHAPTER 3: Something Crazy
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
Going out with Floyd didn't really help matters, unfortunately. Especially since Jack kept texting him about their 'lunch date' they had planned for the next day. She finally grabbed Floyd's phone away from him. "Could you stop texting Jack for two minutes, please?" she asked irritatedly.
"Sorry. I just... I think Jack's been kinda lonely lately, and he's feeling left out since you won't let him come out with us anymore." Floyd smiled. "And plus, we do this new thing where one of us always has to get the last word in, text-wise, so it kinda ends up being a back-and-forth, like, championship over text." He chuckled and shook his head. "Thank God I've got unlimited texting, huh?"
Liz closed her eyes. "Oh God, this isn't working." Floyd was such a nice guy, but... Jack was everywhere. Like a fart in a spacesuit, almost. Once he got in, it was impossible to get him out. And Jenna was right -- Jack was a nice guy, and... well, Liz really wanted him to have his microwave division back. She felt bad for him, almost.
"What's not working?" Floyd questioned, taking his phone back and sending a quick text to Jack.
"This. Floyd, I think I have to do something crazy."
His brows lifted in interest and he set the phone down. "Ooh, okay. You mean, like... go to bed without putting on your Breathe-Right strip?" He grinned.
Liz couldn't help the chuckle, but closed her eyes again and shook her head. "No." She met Floyd's eyes and told him, "I mean something really, really crazy."
"Hmm. Okay..." He was thoughtful for a minute, arms folded across the table. "How about... a getaway? We could go to... like, Jersey or something."
She shook her head again. "No... Floyd, listen--"
"No come on, it'll be great! You could maybe take a couple extra days off work, and we'll just go on a road trip this weekend, and--"
"I can't go on a road trip this weekend, I'm getting married!" Liz blurted out. A series of expressions crossed her face, then: shock, that she'd actually said something so insane... regret, that she'd blurted it out thoughtlessly... and finally trepidation, waiting for Floyd's reaction.
Floyd looked shocked too, for a moment, before his jaw dropped and he started to laugh. "Good one, Liz! Yeah, that would be pretty crazy, if that were true. But seriously, how about a road trip? We don't have to go to Jersey. We could go to Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts... wherever."
"Floyd, I can't," she repeated, "I'm getting married this weekend."
This time, his reaction was a little different. Confusion turned to shock, and... then turned right back into confusion. "Wait, what? You're actually getting married? To who? And how long have you been engaged? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm not engaged. Technically not yet, anyway."
"Who are you almost-but-not-yet engaged to?" Floyd asked, forehead wrinkled in complete, utter confusion.
The bad thing was, Liz was right there with him, confusion-wise. She didn't know what the hell was going on, why she was doing this. Finally, she responded in a sigh, "Jack."
"Jack." Floyd tilted his head downward and regarded her through his lashes in disbelief. "Jack Donaghy? Jack, your boss? Jack, the guy that's been texting me for the past hour about going to lunch tomorrow? That's the Jack you're almost engaged to?"
She nodded slowly. "Yep."
"Wow. I don't... I don't understand."
"Me either, really. But it's not a big deal." She picked up her menu and hid her face with it. "So should we order, or...?"
*****
The next morning, Liz stomped into Jack's office and pointed accusingly at him. "You ruined my date lastnight!"
Jack just blinked up at her and set down the invoice he'd been reading. "How exactly did I manage that, Lemon?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was the million text messages you were sending my boyfriend!" she exclaimed, gesticulating wildly. "Or maybe it's because ever since you came to me with your little 'offer,'" she made air quotes, "I haven't been able to enjoy a minute of my time with him! Or maybe it's because I had to cancel an impromptu road trip because of THIS stupid thing!" She stomped right up to his desk and held up her left hand.
Jack, eyes on the diamond, rose to his feet and came around the other side of the desk, grasping her hand while he studied the ring. "You're wearing my grandmother's engagement ring."
"I know," she huffed, rolling her eyes as if it was the most annoying thing in the world.
"Hmm. That must be why the Floydster canceled our lunch on such short notice."
"Yes."
He looked up at her, his face dangerously close to hers now from inspecting the ring, and he asked in that gravelly (not sexy at all -- really) voice of his, "And that's your answer?"
She closed her eyes, swallowing the nausea that was fastly overcoming her, and sighed out, "Yes." She opened her eyes and scowled at him. "Even though I'm going to hate myself forever for it."
Then Jack smiled. He really, honestly, genuinely smiled, and in that moment Liz felt very, very unsafe because he never smiled at her like that and why the hell was her heart beating that strange rhythm? She hoped it was a heart attack.
"Well that's... that's great," he said.
His gaze shifted down to the ring again, and Liz was about to say something... about to tell him she couldn't do it, about to tell him he could have the ring back... when he started twirling the ring on her finger, and thusly started twisting her stomach into knots. He continued to smile. "This is a perfect fit."
She stared at him and wondered just what he was referring to, though she maybe really didn't want to know. "Yeah, it's a nice ring."
"You know, my grandfather gave this to my grandmother when he returned from fighting in World War I." Jack continued idly turning the ring round and round on Liz's finger as he spoke. "He was in the Navy and as soon as he got off his ship, he pulled this ring out of the pocket of his uniform and dropped to one knee, asking for my grandmother's hand in marriage. And of course she said yes. There's something about that story that's so..."
Liz raised an eyebrow and offered, "Romantic?"
"No." He looked up at her and amended, "Cliched. I've often wondered whether or not that story's true. My father always said my grandmother was a compulsive liar, but... true or not, it's a nice ring anyway."
...Sometimes, there was just nothing better to respond with, other than the good old standby of, "Yeah." Her thoughts were a little hazy anyway, because all she could feel was him twisting the ring around her finger.
"So we're engaged."
She nodded slowly. "Yep. I guess we are."
Jack was looking at her as if deeply contemplating something, and when his eyes drifted to her lips she felt the dread sliding down her spine. Then he spoke. "Do I... do I kiss you?"
"Um..." What was most unsettling was the niggling thought that a kiss might not be that awful, and oh God what was happening to her? "No thanks, that's okay."
"Very well." He twitched a smile briefly and took a step back, dropping her left hand to hold out his right, shaking hers. "Well... thank you for accepting, Lemon." He shook his head, "Liz," he corrected, then tried again, "Elizabeth. You won't regret this."
Then as his phone rang and he turned away to answer it with one last fleeting smile, Liz turned toward the door with raised eyebrows and muttered under her breath on the way out, "Somehow, I severely doubt that."
TBC
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}
CHAPTER 3: Something Crazy
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
Going out with Floyd didn't really help matters, unfortunately. Especially since Jack kept texting him about their 'lunch date' they had planned for the next day. She finally grabbed Floyd's phone away from him. "Could you stop texting Jack for two minutes, please?" she asked irritatedly.
"Sorry. I just... I think Jack's been kinda lonely lately, and he's feeling left out since you won't let him come out with us anymore." Floyd smiled. "And plus, we do this new thing where one of us always has to get the last word in, text-wise, so it kinda ends up being a back-and-forth, like, championship over text." He chuckled and shook his head. "Thank God I've got unlimited texting, huh?"
Liz closed her eyes. "Oh God, this isn't working." Floyd was such a nice guy, but... Jack was everywhere. Like a fart in a spacesuit, almost. Once he got in, it was impossible to get him out. And Jenna was right -- Jack was a nice guy, and... well, Liz really wanted him to have his microwave division back. She felt bad for him, almost.
"What's not working?" Floyd questioned, taking his phone back and sending a quick text to Jack.
"This. Floyd, I think I have to do something crazy."
His brows lifted in interest and he set the phone down. "Ooh, okay. You mean, like... go to bed without putting on your Breathe-Right strip?" He grinned.
Liz couldn't help the chuckle, but closed her eyes again and shook her head. "No." She met Floyd's eyes and told him, "I mean something really, really crazy."
"Hmm. Okay..." He was thoughtful for a minute, arms folded across the table. "How about... a getaway? We could go to... like, Jersey or something."
She shook her head again. "No... Floyd, listen--"
"No come on, it'll be great! You could maybe take a couple extra days off work, and we'll just go on a road trip this weekend, and--"
"I can't go on a road trip this weekend, I'm getting married!" Liz blurted out. A series of expressions crossed her face, then: shock, that she'd actually said something so insane... regret, that she'd blurted it out thoughtlessly... and finally trepidation, waiting for Floyd's reaction.
Floyd looked shocked too, for a moment, before his jaw dropped and he started to laugh. "Good one, Liz! Yeah, that would be pretty crazy, if that were true. But seriously, how about a road trip? We don't have to go to Jersey. We could go to Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts... wherever."
"Floyd, I can't," she repeated, "I'm getting married this weekend."
This time, his reaction was a little different. Confusion turned to shock, and... then turned right back into confusion. "Wait, what? You're actually getting married? To who? And how long have you been engaged? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm not engaged. Technically not yet, anyway."
"Who are you almost-but-not-yet engaged to?" Floyd asked, forehead wrinkled in complete, utter confusion.
The bad thing was, Liz was right there with him, confusion-wise. She didn't know what the hell was going on, why she was doing this. Finally, she responded in a sigh, "Jack."
"Jack." Floyd tilted his head downward and regarded her through his lashes in disbelief. "Jack Donaghy? Jack, your boss? Jack, the guy that's been texting me for the past hour about going to lunch tomorrow? That's the Jack you're almost engaged to?"
She nodded slowly. "Yep."
"Wow. I don't... I don't understand."
"Me either, really. But it's not a big deal." She picked up her menu and hid her face with it. "So should we order, or...?"
*****
The next morning, Liz stomped into Jack's office and pointed accusingly at him. "You ruined my date lastnight!"
Jack just blinked up at her and set down the invoice he'd been reading. "How exactly did I manage that, Lemon?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was the million text messages you were sending my boyfriend!" she exclaimed, gesticulating wildly. "Or maybe it's because ever since you came to me with your little 'offer,'" she made air quotes, "I haven't been able to enjoy a minute of my time with him! Or maybe it's because I had to cancel an impromptu road trip because of THIS stupid thing!" She stomped right up to his desk and held up her left hand.
Jack, eyes on the diamond, rose to his feet and came around the other side of the desk, grasping her hand while he studied the ring. "You're wearing my grandmother's engagement ring."
"I know," she huffed, rolling her eyes as if it was the most annoying thing in the world.
"Hmm. That must be why the Floydster canceled our lunch on such short notice."
"Yes."
He looked up at her, his face dangerously close to hers now from inspecting the ring, and he asked in that gravelly (not sexy at all -- really) voice of his, "And that's your answer?"
She closed her eyes, swallowing the nausea that was fastly overcoming her, and sighed out, "Yes." She opened her eyes and scowled at him. "Even though I'm going to hate myself forever for it."
Then Jack smiled. He really, honestly, genuinely smiled, and in that moment Liz felt very, very unsafe because he never smiled at her like that and why the hell was her heart beating that strange rhythm? She hoped it was a heart attack.
"Well that's... that's great," he said.
His gaze shifted down to the ring again, and Liz was about to say something... about to tell him she couldn't do it, about to tell him he could have the ring back... when he started twirling the ring on her finger, and thusly started twisting her stomach into knots. He continued to smile. "This is a perfect fit."
She stared at him and wondered just what he was referring to, though she maybe really didn't want to know. "Yeah, it's a nice ring."
"You know, my grandfather gave this to my grandmother when he returned from fighting in World War I." Jack continued idly turning the ring round and round on Liz's finger as he spoke. "He was in the Navy and as soon as he got off his ship, he pulled this ring out of the pocket of his uniform and dropped to one knee, asking for my grandmother's hand in marriage. And of course she said yes. There's something about that story that's so..."
Liz raised an eyebrow and offered, "Romantic?"
"No." He looked up at her and amended, "Cliched. I've often wondered whether or not that story's true. My father always said my grandmother was a compulsive liar, but... true or not, it's a nice ring anyway."
...Sometimes, there was just nothing better to respond with, other than the good old standby of, "Yeah." Her thoughts were a little hazy anyway, because all she could feel was him twisting the ring around her finger.
"So we're engaged."
She nodded slowly. "Yep. I guess we are."
Jack was looking at her as if deeply contemplating something, and when his eyes drifted to her lips she felt the dread sliding down her spine. Then he spoke. "Do I... do I kiss you?"
"Um..." What was most unsettling was the niggling thought that a kiss might not be that awful, and oh God what was happening to her? "No thanks, that's okay."
"Very well." He twitched a smile briefly and took a step back, dropping her left hand to hold out his right, shaking hers. "Well... thank you for accepting, Lemon." He shook his head, "Liz," he corrected, then tried again, "Elizabeth. You won't regret this."
Then as his phone rang and he turned away to answer it with one last fleeting smile, Liz turned toward the door with raised eyebrows and muttered under her breath on the way out, "Somehow, I severely doubt that."
TBC
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}