Based on a fic prompt at Milady/Milord from Hypnotoad76
Annie would never be the most die-hard Inspector Spacetime fan. Yet she knew enough by now to debate Abed about it, in her usual intense fashion.
This was evident when they discussed Constable Geneva's character, as Annie was convinced they could have made her a better, more complex character. In contrast, Abed was convinced there was nothing more the writers could do with such a limiting part. Yet Annie insisted she didn't have to be so limiting, and that she had more than the same notes the writers hit over and over.
Then she said their mistakes with Geneva were a greater crime than Inspector Minerva. All hope of a civil argument was then lost.
When the dust cleared and the neighbors stopped calling the cops, Annie and Abed were all screamed out. They didn't talk or clear things up for the next few days, even in Greendale and the study room.
By the end of the third day, even Annie realized this was stupid and had gone too far. But it didn't mean she'd be the one to break first.
As it turned out, Abed was way ahead of her when he knocked on her door Thursday night. Him knocking was suspicious enough right there. Then Annie got her next surprise when she opened up and saw Abed holding a bouquet of white flowers.
"I ran through some dark Spacetime timeline simulations," Abed started. "The more I incorporated your ideas for Geneva, the less dark some of those timelines got. It made me think the writers aren't infallible in non-Minerva seasons after all. So I'm sorry."
Annie would have gloated about being proven right days ago. Instead, after seeing Abed's gesture and rethinking her own debate tactics, she admitted, "I'm sorry too. Maybe I could have made my points more diplomatically. No matter how right they were. And maybe I wasn't just fighting for Geneva the whole time."
"I know," Abed said without needing to say more. In lue of that, he held out his flowers. "These are the closest flowers I could find to match Geneva's favorite carnations. From season 23, episode 109."
"The best Geneva episode," Annie agreed. "If only the writers didn't abandon that Geneva for…." But Annie stopped herself from arguing further, especially after she'd won. Especially after Abed made things right like this.
"Abed, they're beautiful. I can't believe you got these for me," Annie smiled as she took the bouquet.
"I know it's common courtesy to congratulate the winner of an epic duel. Not to mention an underappreciated constable. In both TV and other realities," Abed complimented.
Understanding every way that Abed meant it – and being surprised he meant it in those ways – Annie put her flowers down to hug Abed and complete their making up. Once Abed hugged back with less stiffness than usual, the two talked like friends again before it was time for bed.
Beforehand, Annie texted everyone that the feud was over and told them how Abed did it. Britta, Shirley and Pierce texted their relief by the end of the night, yet there wasn't a single text back from Jeff.
Annie didn't think anything of it until the next day, when she told the group how things worked out in person. While the others had their share of comments and Britta took her share of credit, Jeff didn't say a word.
What's more, Jeff stayed quiet and grumpy in history class and lunch. He didn't even have a comeback for the Dean when he ran by plans for an apartment house party. By the end of the school day, Annie put it together and suspected she had some part in this. Or at least Abed did.
To find out for sure, she looked for Jeff in the halls, made sure none of their friends were nearby – which she was getting good at – and then approached him.
"Jeff, what's with you today? You don't have to be cold every other day so they won't be….suspicious. I thought we cleared that up already," Annie took a shot in the dark at guessing and hoping.
"He gave you flowers," Jeff practically grumbled.
Annie was stunned that Jeff would actually admit what bothered him so quickly. Maybe she shouldn't have been so shocked these days, but it was still big. Of course, that left the issue of him being bothered to begin with. Especially for no reason.
"Jeff, if this is you getting out some leftover jealousy," Annie started before Jeff cut her off.
"I'm the only guy who's supposed to give you flowers!" he said quietly but angrily.
It was fortunate no one else heard this, or else it would sound really creepy without the full context.
But Annie had the context of being in a two-month long secret relationship with Jeff, and she still found it weird.
Yet before she could ask Jeff to explain further, he defaulted to his old 'running away' tactic and got away from her. With his legs and history of running from awkwardness, there was no way Annie would catch him.
She didn't have any better luck texting or calling him that night either. She even failed to reach him all day Saturday, despite her best efforts. It appeared she'd merely traded one awkward, angry period of silence for another.
Only this one was worse because it was Jeff, and she wasn't even angry right back. Yet she was starting to feel that way by Sunday afternoon.
For weeks, Sunday had been her and Jeff's day to spend time together, before they had to return to school and hide their relationship again on Monday. It was like every Sunday was the last day of summer vacation for them – which wasn't as horrifying an analogy to Annie as it was before.
But if Jeff was still this furious and jealous and whatever else he was, it looked like he wasn't meeting her. Troy and Abed were out on an all-day shoot, so Annie didn't even need an excuse to go out this time.
Yet thanks to Jeff freaking out, this day that she'd looked forward to all week – and which had helped distract her from her Abed anger – would be ruined. And he'd probably still give her and Abed the cold shoulder at school on Monday. That was bound to be fun.
Well, Annie wasn't putting up with this again. If she'd tried to make peace with Abed earlier, she wouldn't have wasted days being mad at him. Then he wouldn't have given her the flowers and this whole sequel with Jeff wouldn't have happened.
Therefore, before this saga became a trilogy somehow, she was going over to Jeff's and having this out with him. She was halfway ready to walk out before there was a knock on her door.
A knock that belonged to none other than Jeff.
Annie had this big arrival planned out, and now he showed up. It figured. But once she got that resentment out of the way, she went back to being stunned. "You're here," was the best she had for him.
"It's Sunday," Jeff said as if that was enough. Part of it kind of was, actually. By the time Annie remembered that part of it wasn't, Jeff made his way to her room.
It didn't take him long to find Abed's flowers in a vase on her drawer. "Geneva's favorite, huh?" Jeff asked as Annie got in.
"Well, they're close enough in this dimension," Annie corrected. But unlike Abed, Annie couldn't stretch out Inspector Spacetime references with Jeff. Not long enough to kill the awkwardness, anyway. Yet it only hung over them a while longer until Jeff spoke.
"I love Abed, you know that. We both do," Jeff began. Annie nodded, brushing past him using the L word like that in front of her. "But we both know he's not a flowers kind of guy. Even if part of it was a TV reference. You must have known that when he gave them to you."
"Maybe Britta's helping him be more thoughtful," Annie lamely suggested.
"A timeline where that exists doesn't have enough goatees," Jeff tried to joke, as Annie held back a tiny smile. "Even if it did, a world where 'Doctor Perry' helps with real problems…."
He trailed off to emphasize the ridiculousness – or at least it looked that way at first. In fact, Annie almost thought Jeff looked uneasy before he barreled through. "Anyway, the first point stands. Abed isn't a guy who does normal stuff like buy flowers to end a fight. He's thoughtful, but not that….conventionally thoughtful."
"I think I knew that already," Annie tentatively agreed.
"Yet he stepped out of his comfort zone to do that for you," Jeff noted. Annie knew that too, and hoped she didn't already know how Jeff saw that.
"Jeff, Abed isn't into me like-" Annie started before Jeff explained further.
"He did something out of his usual character, just to make you happy. He willingly made a grand gesture so you'd like him again," Jeff recounted. "Hell, it wasn't the first time. Him and Troy did that when they gave you this room last year," he remembered.
"You did catch that just in time," Annie stated as a semi-joke.
"Like I said, I'm the only guy who's supposed to do that stuff for you now. But I haven't. I'm not that good at it yet. But even the Wonder Twins are better at that stuff with you than I am! What do you think that says about me?" Jeff confessed.
"Well….first of all, you didn't say it like that earlier," Annie muttered as she gathered her thoughts.
"It was implied. I would have been better at hiding it if it wasn't," Jeff answered.
"Okay, you might have me there," Annie admitted. "Second of all, it sounds like you forgot about a certain apple-tini. And a certain shirtless plea for people to bow to you. Those were grand gestures for….not just me."
"I was five years away from finally forgetting that. Thanks for dragging out the healing process," Jeff quipped. Annie stayed steady, trusting he wasn't totally serious.
"Then again, that seems pointless now. It's more soul sucking to admit I want to give you flowers and grand gestures. So I'm incurable either way, apparently," Jeff rolled his eyes.
Despite framing it in a non-sentimental way, Annie was still floored and emotional at his admission. Yet if she got too emotional, she'd risk him closing off again.
She tried to be reassuring and say, "Well, this really isn't a flowers-type thing. You did confuse me and ignore me for a day, but it's not at flower-level yet," Annie explained, hoping it sounded as nonchalant as she planned it.
"Right, it's at a bigger level. Hence me sharing embarrassing crap about myself, without you telling me to. That's how this works, right?" Jeff asked.
"I don't know what we're playing here, Jeff, so how could I know the rules?" Annie questioned.
"It's not like I know them. I'm not Abed, I don't magically know everything," Jeff lamented. "I don't know how to do something I wouldn't normally do. Like make things right for someone I shouldn't have pissed off. Like how to just say I'm sorry and give them pretty stuff that says it for me. That doesn't escape him."
"Jeff, you say you're sorry and give us stuff all the time. You've spent half of the last four years apologizing for crap you've pulled," Annie pointed out.
"Not to you! I do that big apology stuff for the group and Greendale, but not just for you! And I've put you through far worse stuff," Jeff finally calmed down as Annie saw defeat, embarrassment and even shame in his face.
Yet he continued with, "Abed's apologized to you and given you more stuff than I have. And he's not in….a secret relationship with you."
Annie brushed aside Jeff's pause before "secret relationship" as him trying to figure out how to define things. But she missed the first sound he made after he said "in." It almost sounded like he was going to say something that started with L. At least before he transitioned into saying A instead.
"He can do anything with you, and you don't have to pull teeth from him first. He doesn't need to be dragged kicking and screaming before he sees he's wrong. And does something genuine about it," Jeff reflected. "You're too important to him to let arguments and miscommunications throw off your friendship. Not for more than a few days before he makes it right. And yet…."
Jeff didn't have to finish the comparison. Especially since Annie already had enough reasons to object to it.
Yet Jeff beat her to the punch again before she could nitpick. "It kills every bit of whatever dignity I have left to admit this. But I know I have to be better than that. If Abed can do that stuff without a problem for you, why can't I?"
"Jeff, you don't have to do it to be better than him. And you'd better not do it just because you think you have to," Annie had enough wiggle room to chime in.
"I have to do it because I need to," Jeff sighed, digging himself in deeper. "If I can't get this stuff right now, how can I do it when we go public?" Annie nearly gasped at that, but since she didn't, it was easier for Jeff to go on and forget he said it.
"If I can't willingly put in the effort to fix things and keep you happy, even when I piss you off, this thing won't work. And it has to work. If it doesn't, it'll ruin.…" Jeff couldn't finish.
"Ruin our friendship? My optimism? The group dynamic? Your face when Shirley and Pierce are done with you?" Annie asked for clarification.
"That and other things," Jeff added, clearly unwilling to add any more. Annie let that go and moved on to address more important stuff.
"Okay Jeff, maybe you're right. You don't have much experience in making up with me. Not the way you think you need to. But I don't want that," Annie stated. "I don't want you to give me gifts and beg for mercy every time you screw up. I don't even want you to screw up less! I just want…."
Annie stopped to make sure she could explain this properly. She sensed a lot rode on this, so she had to get this just right. For once, things would be resolved between them in a just right fashion.
"Do you know why I was so moved by Abed giving me flowers? It wasn't because they were flowers, or because they came from him. He showed me he cared enough to make things right with me. That used to be very rare for me, Jeff," Annie shared, feeling a familiar pit in her stomach over the past. But it was worth it since it would go away soon enough.
"People never apologized for hurting me or upsetting me back then. Not my parents, not my bullies. And yes, not even some friends of mine," she danced around. "They either wanted to ignore it, or they weren't sorry, or they had their own crap going on. Either way, they didn't care enough to make me feel better. To let me know they hated hurting me and didn't want to keep doing it. Usually it was because they didn't hate it."
"Annie, that's why I…." Jeff tried to start, but Annie cut him off this time.
"But it's different now," she began to smile and shrink the pit. "People care enough about me to work things out with me. They don't let things fester until we can't stand each other anymore. Now they'd reexamine their deepest beliefs just to try and be friends with me again. And they admit they want to be there for me, even if they feel lame and uncool," she added with a grin to ease Jeff.
He did look a little better as Annie finished, "I don't need flowers or gifts or grand gestures. And it doesn't matter who does them the best anyway. Just having people willing to do them….willing to work things out instead of dismissing me….that's the greatest gesture any of you could ever give me."
Annie blinked away the water in her eyes, trying not to give Jeff the wrong idea. Even if they had become full fledged tears, they wouldn't be sad Disney ones. They shouldn't be when it came to this stuff anymore.
"It shouldn't be," Jeff broke the silence. "You should have so much more than that. You should be pampered and spoiled like a non-animated princess. Even when you're not fighting with people."
Annie bit back a smile at Jeff's new, somewhat more flattering way of calling her a princess. As she felt the mood lighten again, she answered, "Well, if you made me like that, I don't think either of us would like me before too long."
"No. We really wouldn't," Jeff conceded with barely hidden fondness.
Annie felt them slipping into shared hidden smile mode, which they didn't have to hide in this setting. But before they shared other things, Jeff added, "I should still be the only guy who does the really big stuff. Not just for my own ego. I just….don't know how to do the simple things yet. Not the right way. Not like Abed," he reluctantly admitted again. "But I'm trying."
"That's all I need, Jeff," Annie kept smiling. "That's more than I used to dream from you. Outside of the Mrs. Winger dreams, anyway." She feared that might be pushing it, but Jeff didn't look too fazed by it – again.
Yet she got past it and finished, "But now that you're trying, I know you'll get it right, no matter what that means. And I know you'll do it better than anyone, if you haven't already. I trust you."
There was a time when Jeff would have thought, and said out loud, that she was naïve for that. Annie herself kind of thought that sounded naïve too, especially when it came to Jeff. Yet unlike at the convention, she wouldn't keep assuming the worst about what Jeff thought and how he thought of her.
He was here, confronting an issue, owning up to his jealousy, and promising not to leave or brush things aside when they got rough. Of course Annie could trust him.
"You can start by taking me out now," Annie said out loud. "Like you said, it's Sunday, right?" she reminded.
"Right, I remember the calendar telling me that," Jeff said. Annie waited for him to be ready to go, yet he stayed in place. "Actually, I think you need one more accessory first."
Annie stood back as Jeff walked to the vase of flowers and picked one out. He actually dried the bottom of the stem with his shirt, then walked to Annie and placed the flower into the hair behind her ear. He brushed her hair to make it look right and let his fingers linger there for a few extra seconds, before they went to her cheek and lingered there.
"There. I didn't give that to you, but I can make sure you show it off," Jeff explained. Technically, being in a secret relationship meant trying to stay discreet. But Annie was not going to correct him in the slightest.
"I'd love to do that. Especially since it was made possible by my two favorite men in the world," Annie praised, before realizing she had to qualify that. "Not that Abed isn't a very distant second," she added just in case.
"Right," was all Jeff had at first. "So do you want to let Troy and Pierce down gently, or should I?"
Annie gave an incredulous chuckle and playfully smacked his forearm as a reply. Getting the message, Jeff followed her to the front door, then opened it for her like a caricatured gentlemen. Annie shook her head further in wonder, and a bit of happiness, before stepping out with him.
If this had happened a year or two ago, Annie would have had higher, unrealistic expectations for grand gestures, making up and public displays of affection. But although she'd lowered them, Jeff had already exceeded every romantic expectation she'd ever had, in his own way. And this was before he vowed to do better at it than Abed.
Still, Annie reminded herself that he'd probably start slow. After all, there was only so much fighting and making up they could do in a secret relationship without risking the secret. And there was only so extravagance he could pull off without exposing them either. This made the secret part a problem either way.
Yet only one of them aimed to fix that as soon as possible. And not the one that most might have expected.