Note: This story starts right after the fight that Nick and Jess have at the end of "Tomatoes". She screams "quitter" at the end and that's where the story starts. ALSO: I do not own anything New Girl!

Another Note: This is my first fic! It's not very good but please do read and review so I can get some indication of whether or not I should keep at this, story writing thing! Happy reading!

"Quitter!"

Jess could hear her own words ringing in her ears as she stomped her way to the kitchen, without purpose or aim. She could barely catch her breath or even see clearly, she was so mad. Leaning against the kitchen counter to collect herself, she dropped her head in defeat. Why had she reacted like that to Caroline? Surely it was because Nick could do better, could move on, could stop complicating his life more and more. That had to be it.

Whatever it was, she knew one thing for sure: Nick made her livid. It wasn't just the fact that he avoided his own potential like the plague, all the while donning flannel and his stupid turtle face. It was his aimless intransigence, his inability to see the silver lining in anything, his preference for cereal over eggs, his irrational fear of blueberries, his little idiosyncrasies that led to countless instances of banter between them, and a million other infuriating things. She grabbed a glass and filled it to the rim with ice and water, in an attempt to cool down—her body was on fire.

As she stood cross-armed against the counter, gulping down the water, the irrational rage began to clear away. Who was she kidding. She didn't hate Nick. She loved the fact that he was an underdog who couldn't meet his potential and kept an Idea Notebook. She daydreamed about him and he'd always be in his usual flannel. His turtle face was endearing, his pessimism was a challenge. Their angry exchanges were always underpinned by an electricity that excited her, a spark that made things interesting, a passion that was undeniable.

Electricity. Spark. Passion. That's what she was looking for, wasn't it? As her chest heaved up and down and temples pulsated like post-fight aftershocks, Jess admitted to herself something she always kind of, sort of knew. She liked Nick's casual attitude, and his down in the dumps disposition. She liked dwelling on the meaningful glances they exchanged, and the tender touches they shared every night before she went to bed. She liked the fact that he knew her favorite ice cream, and where she kept her tap shoes, and who her favorite students were. She liked Nick's taste in music. She liked Nick's choice of cologne.

She liked Nick.

The admission was a bitter one, what with Caroline down the hall, most likely whispering sweet nothings into his ear, and running her fingers through his hair, and doing other things Jess decided she did not want to think about. Coming out of a ridiculously recent breakup with Russell was bad enough; she did not want to have to grapple with her new feelings AND jealousy all at the same time.

She sighed heavily and put the empty glass into the sink. Too many things were happening too fast and Jess decided it was best to sleep on them. She took her blazer and shoes off and began walking towards her room, praying all the while that she wouldn't get an earful of Nick and Caroline. As she made her way, a sight in boxers and a white tee made her stop dead in her tracks. Nick was sitting alone on the couch.

Jess didn't know whether to stay still or walk faster, but Nick made that decision for her.

"Jess. Wait".

Jess turned around slowly and uttered a confrontational "What is it Nick" in a more aggressive tone than she had planned. Nick leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his eyes focused on hers.

"I like your pajama outf—your pajamas".

Jess was caught off guard. "What?"

"I like your freaking pajamas, Jess! I like that you bake things, they make the loft smell nice. I like that you tell me how to live my life, I don't know what I'd do without your help".

Jess didn't know how to respond, what to say. She stood in front of him, shoes and jacket in hand, shoulders slouched, face expressionless. He got up and began walking towards her, stopping only to leave a distance of several feet between them.

"I've never seen you this mad, Jess. I hate that I made you this mad."

Nick looked overcome with regret and Jess was touched. With words failing her, she put her shoes and blazer on the ground, and pulled Nick into a tender embrace. She put her arms around his neck and he put his around her waist, pulling her into him, burying his face into her coconut-smelling, thick hair. She twirled some stray curls at the back of his head between her fingers as she told him that she was sorry too and that she was angry because she had broken up with Russell and that she was only looking out for him when she criticized Caroline. On mentioning the end of her relationship though, Nick broke away from their embrace.

"You broke up with Russell?"

"Yeah. We both wanted different things from the relationship. It wasn't going to work out". Her voice was breaking slightly and it was clear she was upset. Nick grabbed her shoulders but tenderly this time, rubbing his thumbs along the ends of her collar bone, pushing away strands of hair from her neck and lightly grazing her nape, staring intensely into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, sweetie", he whispered softly. Jess could feel her resolve melting away. Why was he being so nice to her after everything she said to him? Why had he not gone back to his room, back to Caroline? The countless thoughts swarming her brain didn't even allow her to realize that their foreheads were now touching, Nick's hands still on her shoulders, now moving in a slow up-down motion. Jess grabbed one of his hands and began interlacing her fingers with his, the other wrapped around his other arm. She could feel his hot breath on her and hear his heartbeat. She could smell what was clearly women's perfume on his shirt but she could still sense his woody, masculine scent behind all that sweetness. She had difficulty breathing and seeing clearly again but this time, it wasn't anger that was causing it.

As she rested her head on Nick's shoulder, the sight of Caroline's shoes outside Nick's door awoke Jess rudely to reality. Caroline. Nick had just slept with Caroline. Again. They were back together. Again. Jess pulled away.

"Isn't Caroline waiting for you?"

Nick tucked loose strands of hair behind Jess' ear. "I know you think she's wrong for me".

"What I think isn't important Nick."

"That's not true, Jess. I want to know what you think. I have to know what you think."

The last part of Nick's proclamation was said with a marked severity in tone. Jess wasn't sure what he was playing at. He took her small hands in his, pulled them to the center of his chest, and looked into her eyes.

"Jess. I know you think Caroline is bad for me because we had a terrible relationship and that I need to move on." He paused as he gently caressed her wrists. "But can you give me any other reason to not get back with her?"

Jess began to speak. "I can give you ten reasons Nick, and I'm sure Schmidt and Winston can come up with another twenty".

He interrupted her. "No, I don't care what Schmidt and Winston think, Jess. I'm asking you—can you give me any reason at all for why I shouldn't walk back into that room-and give Caroline another shot?"

Jess was speechless. What did Nick want to hear from her anyway? That she wanted nothing more than to kick Caroline out of the loft and spend the night in his arms? That she was aching to taste every inch of him? That she wanted to be the one he called "babe" and fight with him and make love in an endless cycle of passion and bliss?

Nick pulled her close to him again and brought his lips to Jess' ears, almost lightly kissing her earlobe, making Jess even weaker in the knees.

"Just tell me", he whispered while rubbing the small of her back. "Just say it, Jess, and she'll be out that door".

Jess felt a lump building in her throat. Her heart was racing but with more fear than excitement. What if he was wrong for her? What if Caroline and him could find happiness again and volatile, confused Jess got in the way of that? What if things between herself and him ended up not working out? She could lose a close friend, a confidante, a roommate. Even amongst all these doubts, Jess knew that a relationship with Nick would be a flurry of intensity, tenderness, and devotion. Was she ready for that?

It was only after Nick pulled back that Jess realized she had taken too long to answer. Nick let go of her waist, his eyes shifting nervously from her eyes to his feet. It was also at that moment that Caroline opened the door to Nick's bedroom.

"Nick? What's taking you so long? Is everything okay?"

Everything was not okay and both Jess and Nick were uncomfortably aware of that.

Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed this. I wanted to set the tone for what I feel will permeate the last two episodes of the season. I wrote this a few days ago but im JUST being allowed to upload this now since I just formally joined a couple of days ago. PLEASE let me know what you guys think! First fic i've ever, ever written in my whole life and i'm shakin' in my boots!