In another world, Nick doesn't quit law school. Instead he marries his long-term girlfriend Caroline after she unexpectedly gets pregnant during his third year of law school. Flash forward about 11 years later and workaholic lawyer Nick Miller finds that his marriage is falling apart and he's forced to crash with his ex-college roommate Schmidt. He doesn't have a life plan anymore, just one last chance to save his family. But then one annoying girl roommate throws a wrench into everything by getting under his skin and making him fall in love with her.

A Nick/Jess slow-burn au

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Nick comes home from Clyde's buzzing with excitement. His heart is racing; everything suddenly makes sense. The dark cloud that's been looming over his head has disappeared and it's like he's seeing the world clearly for the first time in years. He opens the door to their tiny apartment and announces breathlessly, "Caroline, I think I might quit law school."

"You what?" his girlfriend asks in disbelief.

He laughs, still high on adrenaline. "It's crazy. But I realized that I would hate being a lawyer. I don't know why it took me until my 3L, but I don't wanna do this anymore."

Caroline doesn't say anything. She just stares at him in shock.

"I think I might become a bartender," he says, still breathing hard and blissfully optimistic about his future for the first time in years.

After a moment, Caroline says softly, "I'm pregnant."

She stares at him expectantly, and Nick just gapes blankly at her. His world suddenly flips upside down, swinging him back into reality and dashing the wild impulse that took hold of him when he covered Red's shift at the bar. He has no idea what he's supposed to do, so he follows the pull of his gut and blurts out, "Marry me." Once the words fall out of his mouth, everything else suddenly seems unimportant.

Caroline lets out a short, surprised laugh. "Nick, you don't have to-"

"I want to," he cuts her off and gets down on one knee. He's supposed to have a ring for this, but he can get that later. It's the intent of the gesture that counts. "Caroline, I know this isn't how either of us pictured this going, but I love you. We've been together for almost six years and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Nick sees her hesitate for a split second and it sends a spike of panic running down his spine. He takes her hands in his. "I'll finish law school. I'll become a lawyer. We'll have the baby and build a beautiful family together. We're going to have a good life. I'm going to take care of us. I will, Caroline. I promise."

Caroline wasn't even sure she wanted kids, but looking down at Nick's hopeful face, she wanted to have the future he saw with her. He loves her and she loves him and maybe that's all they really need. So she smiles at him and says, "Okay." Nick stands up and twirls her around before kissing her and it's almost perfect.

They get a ring that weekend, but it doesn't feel real to him until their first appointment with the OB/GYN. Nick listens to the sound of his baby's heartbeat for the first time and it hits him all at once. He's going to be a dad. He knows he loves Caroline, but the feeling of love that he has for his kid is entirely different. He feels it so much it hurts. He loves this tiny almost-person so much more than he could ever love himself. That's the moment when he forgets his half-formed dream of opening up his own bar and commits himself to being the kind of father he always wished he had growing up. His kid is never going to know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night scared that their dad won't be there in the morning. He's going to be there for everything.

So Nick buckles down and finishes law school. He passes the bar exam with flying colors on his first try. He lands a job at a prestigious corporate firm in downtown LA because that's where he can make all the money he needs to give his family everything they could ever want. He and Caroline have a small wedding in a tiny church, and his ma cries through the entire ceremony. Seven months later their daughter Abigail Hope Miller is born, beautiful just like her mother with the same brown eyes as her father. It's not exactly how Nick expected his life to go, but he has a family and that means everything to him.

Things aren't always easy. There's plenty of days when he wonders if he made the right choice, if he should've done things differently. But he knows it's all worth it when he comes home from work to see his family. He'll hear his daughter Abbi excitedly yell "Daddy!" and and she'll come running to him, her face lit up by her bright grin. He'll feel his lips stretch into the first genuine smile he's had all day as he drops his briefcase and crouches down to scoop her up into a hug. He'll pick her up and she'll cling tight to his neck and tell him all about her day. He'll laugh at her childlike delight at going grocery shopping with Mommy or how she got to pet a doggy at the park. He'll carry her into the kitchen where his wife Caroline will look up from where she's stirring something in a saucepan for dinner. She'll smile at him, her eyes filled with love for him, as he presses a quick kiss to her cheek.

They buy a house in one of the best neighborhoods in LA after Nick makes partner at the firm. He starts picking up more and more hours and bringing work home more often. He wishes he could spend more time with his family instead of being stuck at the office, but so does everyone else in the world. It's just being an adult. It's not perfect, but it's a good life. He has a family that he loves with his entire heart and they love him back in the same way. There's not much more that a guy like him can ask for. So every day he wakes up and tries his damndest to be the kind of father and husband they deserve.

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Author's Note:

Well hello there!

This fic was inspired (among other things) by:

-How much I hate when Nick is portrayed as dumb/incompetent

-The episode Chicago

-Every time Jake Johnson wears a suit and/or tie

But mostly this fic was started by that scene at the end of Fired Up where Nick calls him and Jess a "power couple," and there was something really appealing to me about Nick the competent lawyer. And then Chicago got me feelin' some kind of way and I just wanted to see more of this capable and responsible side of Nick.

So I started thinking: okay, what would have to happen to make Nick Miller finish law school and become a successful lawyer?

And so the Lawyer AU was born.

This one goes out to everyone who liked/reblogged/left a comment on the drabble version of this on tumblr. Honestly, people saying nice things about that post is what prompted me to actually follow through with this behemoth of a fic. Seriously, a nice comment/reply/tag is the best part of an author's day. I can't stress enough how much they mean to me.

I owe my eternal love and firstborn child to dreamsofsleepingin for being the most incredible beta that a girl like me could ask for.

Dedicated to Hannah, the light of my life.

Thanks.

(and yes, I promise that nick/jess is endgame in this fic- you're just gonna have to trust me on this slow burn)