Title: The Next Step (1/1)

Rating: G

Spoilers: Up to present, to be safe.

Words: 1,150

Disclaimer: I don't own Community, yo

Summary: A brief ficlet in which Jeff and Annie ponder their post-Greendale plans; an activity spurred by the arrival of some very important letters.

The Next Step

Jeff wandered through the dimly-lit hallways of Greendale, taken by the relative silence of the usually bustling campus. He could hear nothing aside from the steady hum of electricity—a stark change from the typical squeaks of sneakers, murmurs of conversation and laughs from mildly entertaining anecdotes shared between underachievers.

Of course, all of those people were likely home in bed by now, or at least well on their way to piss drunk. If asked, Jeff probably couldn't explain what brought him to Greendale at 3:30 in the morning. He was as confused about his current location as he was about the envelope he held.

The small envelope felt heavy in his hands. He'd held many similar envelopes in his time as a lawyer—a manila folder containing all of the incriminating information about his clients who he had sworn (gleefully) to defend. But somehow this envelope was different. The stakes were higher than just `prison' or 'no prison;' or at least they were for him.

He turned the corner and headed toward the library. He wasn't sure why he retreated to the study room whenever a big decision loomed over his head, just something about the comfort and familiarity of the table and chairs that made him feel like he wasn't alone.

He was surprised, as the study room came into view, to find the lights a little brighter. He assumed the evening librarian and janitor would have been long gone. Maybe they just forgot to turn off the lights. He slowed his pace and crossed the barrier, startled to find the small brunette sitting in her regular spot, looking equally startled to see him there.

"Jeff?" Annie asked. She looked a little bleary eyed, given the late hour.

"Annie," he stated. "You know the group doesn't meet for like, 13 hours, right?" he sat in his regular seat. Annie rolled her eyes and regarded the envelope he had set down on the table in front of him. It was much smaller than the one she had been staring at for the better part of three hours.

"What's that?" she asked.

"This," Jeff said, picking the envelope up and dropping it almost as quickly, "Is life."Annie regarded him sceptically

"It looks more like a letter to me," she said, gesturing toward the similar package in front of her. Jeff scoffed. "What's it for?"

"Barnes & Thornburg," he responded. Annie's brow furrowed.

"Barnes & Thornburg?" she asked. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"It's a law firm," he chuckled humourlessly. "It's the law firm, actually." Annie nodded slowly, understanding seeping in.

"The law firm, huh?"

"Yep," he affirmed.

"They sent you a letter?" he nodded.

"They did."

"And..." He peered up at her, then back down at the envelope.

"And nothing," he said, flicking the envelope away. She frowned.

"They turned you down?" Jeff shrugged.

"Dunno, haven't opened it."

"Jeff! How can you just sit there so casually? This envelope could be your future!" she reached over and grabbed the envelope.

"What about you?" he nodded toward the large envelope sitting in front of her, George Washington University's logo plastered on the front. "That doesn't look opened." She peered down at the mass of white in front of her, biting her lip.

"It's just... so big," she said after a moment. Jeff quirked a grin. "That's what she said, I know," she filled in the blank for him with a roll of her eyes. Jeff chuckled.

"But it's obviously an acceptance letter, right? Rejections don't come in fancy packages."

"Yea, I guess," she allowed. "It's just a lot to think about right now, you know?" He looked at her quizzically, urging her to continue. "It's in DC." Jeff nodded slowly.

"As in Washington, DC?" she nodded. "That's not that far..." She gave him a pointed look. "Okay, it is, but it's the Master of Health Care Administration, right? That's the goal? The big dream?" She sighed and sunk back into her chair.

"Yes, it is," she allowed.

"So... what's the problem?"

"It's just..." she took a moment, gathering her thoughts. Jeff didn't interrupt, she was grateful for that. "I didn't think this was actually going to happen." Jeff watched her incredulously. "Let me finish." He rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. "After...everything. After rehab, and only getting into Greendale, and passing up a chance at City College, and never transferring, and getting expelled—albeit unfairly—and only having a 3.8 GPA... I kind of thought I blew it. And then this envelope shows up... this envelope that, by all outward appearances, should negate all of that. And I just don't get it." Jeff nodded slowly, taking this in.

"You thought it was all over," he said slowly. "And now you have to face the possibility that it's not." She nodded.

"Yes, exactly. And I don't know what to do with that. I'm... Crap. I don't know. I'm scared, Jeff."

"Scared of what?" She began tugging at the ends of her hair nervously.

"What if my success is confined, Jeff?" she stopped a moment to consider this. "What if Greendale is the land of opportunity for me? What if I make it to DC and everything falls apart because, as predicted, I really can't hack it? What's if it's too much for me?" Jeff stayed quiet a moment, his eyes darting between her envelope and his.

"I can get that," he said after a moment. Annie frowned slightly. "I mean, not about you... about me. What if working for some sleazy law firm in Riverside is the best I can do? What if that letter really is a job offer, and I have to go prove myself amongst people who are actually good at this stuff?" He stopped and reached over, grabbing Annie's envelope. "And what if you don't screw it up?" he shifted suddenly. "What if you get everything you want and more, and it's all in this gigantic, heavy envelope from the school of your dreams?"

The two watched each other across the table for a moment, each holding on to each other's envelope, each with their fingers at the ready.

"What if this is your future, Jeff?" she asked, holding it up.

They each tore away the opening of one another's envelopes, pulling out the papers and reading silently to themselves, not bothering to peek up for their own results.

A moment later: "This law firm is in DC," Annie said quietly. Jeff peered up at her, a bit of hesitation in his gaze.

"So is your school," he said. He slid the piece of paper toward her. She peered down at the first sentence that simply said, "Congratulations."

"I'm going to DC," she said quietly. Jeff nodded slowly, his eyes now falling to the paper still in her hands. She looked down at the text on the sheet and then back at Jeff. "And so are you."

End

I'm super-duper tired from a lot of Gravol (I have to get up early, don't judge me). Anyway. That's my excuse for typos. Hope you liked it. Let me know.