Author's Note:
POSSIBLE spoilers (but unlikely) for the last episodes of 30 Rock
This is inspired by that tweet that said that they would be filming at JFK airport on their "last day". I was kinda stuck on the idea of Liz leaving and Jack being a mess and I guess this is the result.
Also because I'm attached to that moment where Liz looks back into Jack's office and says "I just like seeing you in there" and it pretty much sums up how I've been feeling about the end of the series.
Anyway, this is really angsty and not very good but enjoy!
"So this is it," he muttered as many people rushed past him, Liz, and an awkward Criss. Jack had offered to drive them to the airport, but now he was starting to regret it. He was terrible with goodbyes.
"Yeah," she said quietly. They seemed to be lost in their own world for a moment. They were both very sad, but deep down they knew this was for the best for everyone involved.
Well, except Jack, but he didn't really matter at this point.
Criss coughed and excused himself toward the ticket counter to give the two a chance to say goodbye.
Suddenly she was hugging the life out of him, and he was squeezing her back. He was surprised that he was almost near tears, and he could feels hers coming through his shirt. They pulled away and she let out an awkward laugh, wiping her eyes.
"Hey," he said, "don't worry about a thing." It was almost if he was reading her mind. She laughed again and shook her head.
"I'm really going to miss you," she cried. He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm just a phone call away, remember?" She nodded and sniffed in a very unattractive way that made them both chuckle.
"Yeah, but I'll be on Pacific Time…"
"I don't care, I'll answer anytime you call." There was something deeper behind those words that she couldn't help but pick up on. Liz tried to hold back a sob, and she was hugging him again.
"Jack," she groaned. She secretly hoped he would say something else. Something that would make her stay for good. But after a few moment of his silence, she gave up and figured that maybe he didn't feel the way she hoped he did. "I promised myself I wasn't going to cry!" she cried. He sighed.
"Come on, did you really believe that?" She shook her head, still hugging him close. "Don't worry. You're going to be brilliant."
Finally, Criss appeared, breaking up the sad goodbye. He smiled at the two of them as Liz wiped away more tears and Jack made weird faces to prevent his own tears from falling.
"Sorry to break this up, but we've got a plane to catch!" Criss said awkwardly. Jack nodded and shook Criss's hand and patted him on the back, wishing him luck. Liz stood next to him, trying to compose herself. They stood awkwardly for a moment until Jack broke the silence.
"Well go on, the plane's not going to wait for you!" He said, ushering them toward security. As the entered the line, she gave one last "bye!" and then they moving through the queue.
Jack lingered as he watched them make it through the security checkpoint, Liz's eyes barely leaving his, and gave one last wave as they made their way to find the gate.
The ride back to the plaza was depressing to say the least. He downed at least three scotches, and then he found himself roaming the halls of 30 Rock.
When the executives at Universal had called to ask him his thoughts about Elizabeth Lemon, he couldn't help but brag about how she was the funniest lady he knew in the business. TGS might not be the greatest show on the network, but he was very confident of Liz's potential.
But if he had known that they were going to interview her and offer her an amazing job in Los Angeles, he would've never said anything. It was the right thing to do though, even if he hated that she was leaving him.
He found himself wandering into her mostly empty office. The only thing left was her desk, her amazing couch, and a couple old scripts scattered about the room. Even her big sign that said "The Girlie Show" was gone, the one thing she seemed unable to part from when she had been deciding what to bring with her across the country.
"I just like seeing you in there," he muttered to himself, sadly, repeating the same words she had said to him a few years ago. He would give almost anything for her to come back, but he knew that what they were offering in LA was better than anything he could offer at NBC.
Jack made his way back to his own office, needing another drink. He slumped onto his couch in a daze, trying not to think about her. Letting Liz go was the biggest mistake he'd ever made in his entire life.
"You really think I should go?" Liz asked as she leaned on the armrest of his couch, sipping a glass of white wine. "It's just so far away from here. How am I supposed to go to such a sunny place? And what if they don't like me a few months in and I'm jobless in a scary new place?"
Her worrying was driving him a little nuts, mostly because he was trying to restrain himself from getting down on his knees and begging her to stay.
"Lemon. You're going to be fine. From what I heard, you blew them away in your interviews."
"And you're okay with me leaving?" she asked, quietly, giving him a final chance to stop her. Jack didn't saying anything at first, keeping his eyes focused on the papers on his desk, even though he could feel that her (beautiful) shark eyes were fixed on him.
"Sure. It's the best thing for you, isn't it? I mean, the pay they're offering you is pretty amazing, and so is the opportunity alone," he answered, even though he didn't really answer her question. She sighed a little, clearly not getting the answer she had hoped for, and set her empty wine glass back on his bar.
"Fine. I guess I'll start planning my trip then," and she was out of his office before he could even say anything else.
Of course, they acted like nothing had happened afterwards, and Jack helped her plan her trip across the country. Criss was much more excited than Liz about everything. He was planning on starting a legitimate food truck there, and he claimed that he always felt the Pacific Coast was calling his name.
Jack started to doze off on his couch, when suddenly there was a blurry figure standing above him. He'd recognize that silhouette anywhere, and he rubbed his eyes to try to focus.
"Hey, Jack. Jack, are you okay?" the timid voice asked. He tried to respond but the alcohol was really taking a toll on him, and he couldn't seem to believe what was right in front of his eyes.
"Lemon?"
"Hi."
And there she was. Liz's luggage was perched next to her as she smiled at her friend awkwardly, her face tear-stained and her hair a bit of a mess.
"I couldn't do it, Jack. LA's not for me. I couldn't even get on the plane."
But before she could explain further, he was kissing her, mostly because he was still convinced it was a dream, but also because there was no way he was going to miss this chance ever again.
He couldn't be more relieved as she started to kiss him back and her arms wrapped around his neck as his wrapped around her back and pulled her closer. Finally he pulled away, but just barely, and started to realize that maybe Liz was actually there and that he had actually just kissed his best friend.
Who was dating another man as well.
"Oh, Lemon, I'm sorry. I've had quite a bit to drink and just because you're back doesn't mean anything about you and Criss and us-"
The word "us" seemed to be the one she was looking for because she cut him off as she kissed him. It was a short kiss, but it was enough to shut him up and to show how she felt as well.
"When I decided that I couldn't leave, Criss got upset and we fought and he decided that he was going to move to LA anyways," she began to explain, still in Jack's arms. "We've been drifting apart for a while and I guess I thought that maybe in a new environment things would get better. But I knew deep down they weren't going to. So I ended it in the airport, and he decided that he would pursue his dream food truck business in LA and I'm going to stay here and figure some things out for a while. He's going to send my stuff back and the divorce shouldn't be too difficult…"
They were quiet for a moment, mostly because Jack was speechless and he couldn't stop staring at her, and Liz was on the verge of tears again, clearly confused and a bit of a mess. Jack pulled her close again and kissed her forehead.
"I never should've let you go," he whispered into her ear.
"But you didn't. I'm here, aren't I?" She smiled as he kissed her again. Everything seemed right back to normal again. Well, not quite normal. But so very much better.
"I love you, Lemon."
"Right back at ya, Jackie boy."