Title: An Adult Dude and Lady Situation

Author: Mindy

Rating: T, minor sexiness

Disclaimer: Tina's etc.

Spoilers: Not really…

Pairing: Jack/Liz. That is all.

Summary: Jack has an 'A-ha' moment about love.

-x-

"Hey, you want some?" Liz offered the yogurt-filled spoon, swiping up a dollop that fell to the pillow.

Jack did not heed the dollop, or the offer. "Thankyou, no."

"You're quiet tonight," she noted, sliding the spoon into her own mouth.

Jack continued staring straight ahead. "Mmmm…"

"What's going on with you?" she asked after another moment.

"…I'm sorry?"

She waved her spoon at the TV at the foot of the bed. "We've been watching Colbert for like, fifteen minutes and you haven't scoffed or argued with the TV once. Oh my God-" her eyes widened with mock glee, "you're not developing an affinity for left-wing political satire are you? Is it because of me? Is that sort of thing transmittable through sex?"

Jack turned to her. "Lemon, turn off the television."

"Alright." She pushed a button, making Colbert dissolve mid-quip.

Jack faced her on the bed, his forehead creased with concern. "Lemon…are you happy? With us, I mean, with our situation."

She nodded. "Sure. I'm- Why? Aren't you?"

"Yes," he murmured slowly. "I am."

"Oka-ay…" She eyed him sideways, resuming spooning yogurt from the tub into her mouth. "And why do you sound worried about that?"

Jack shook his head absently. "I'm not sure…"

She released a sigh, letting the tub of yogurt drop to her lap. "Are you sulking because we've only done it once tonight? And I was working last night? Because I do need some down time you know and you were the one-"

"No," he interrupted calmly. "I'm perfectly content with our sex life."

"Good. But you still sound kinda worried."

"Something feels awry, Liz. Like there's something…missing."

"Missing where?"

"Here. Between us."

"Like what? What's missing?"

"That I don't know. But it's a very unnerving feeling. Being this…this happy." He waved a hand at her, examining her form and face with a furrowed brow. "I feel entirely content whenever I am with you. One year in and I feel totally relaxed in our romantic relationship."

She shrugged a shoulder. "And how's that a bad thing?"

"It shouldn't be. So why do I feel like…like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop? Like I'm not giving this my all? Like there's something we're not doing, something I'm not giving you?"

"You give me plenty, Jack. You bought me hotdog with extra bread just the other day."

Jack wagged his head, adamant and troubled. "No. You see, it's like…like there's a whole set of muscles I'm not using. A whole aspect of us that we're just not heeding."

"Huh." Liz's head tilted back, her eyes gleaming with sudden comprehension. "…Oh my God." She was silent a moment. "I know what this is."

Jack looked at her. "You do?"

"Yeah," she nodded, a small smile growing on her face. "I do."

His eyes narrowed. "I take it you're going to tell me."

"Oh yeah, I totally am." She clambered onto him, putting the yogurt on the nightstand and settling herself on his lap. "Okay, so. You are happy."

Jack lent back in the pillows and nodded. "I said so, yes."

Liz pointed at herself. "I'm happy."

He nodded again. "Apparently so."

She waved a hand. "We get on, we communicate well, we rarely fight."

"Yes, yes and yes."

"We have great sex."

"A definite yes."

"We stay in when we want, go out when we want. We share the remote…pretty well. We like the same food."

"Very important, of course."

"Of course. Also, you've quit messing with my head like you used to sometimes do."

Jack shot her a sly smile. "That's because I get to mess with you in other ways now."

"Ways I think we both prefer."

"I couldn't agree more."

Liz swallowed her smile, moving on. "You and I don't keep secrets. We don't play games. We don't throw breakables at each other. We know what the other wants, likes, dislikes, detests. We can-"

"Finish each other's sentences, yes."

"This is what I'm saying."

"So?" Jack cocked his head. "What's your point?"

"My point is that this is unlike any other relationship you've ever had. And you-" she poked his chest with a belligerent finger, "miss all the drama. You miss the games, the secrets, the conflict, the competition, the manipulation. That's the stuff that you have come to associate with being in a steady relationship with a woman. But there's none of that with us. There's just…all the good stuff. Which causes your antagonistic side to get all antsy. Hence, you start to feel unsettled, unfulfilled. Hence, this conversation. See?" She sat back on her heels, looking satisfied. "And here we were thinking I was the screwed up one in this relationship."

Jack sighed a belabored sigh. "You know Oprah really does have an awful lot to answer for."

"This does not come from years of watching Oprah. No." She shook her head, eyes wide. "This comes from years of watching you, my friend, mess about in your lady dramas, not saying what you mean when you mean it, trying to get the upper hand and getting off on all the drama. And I think we both know how well that worked out for you."

Jack was silent a moment. He sighed again, hands going to her thighs. "Perhaps you're right, Lemon."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Perhaps I am."

"I mean look at us." He sat up a little straighter, adjusting himself under her. "We just spent the entire week working side-by-side with very few disturbances. At the end of which, we had a fantastic meal followed by some fantastic sex."

"You let me watch my Colbert despite your aversion to it."

"You turned off the television without any argument when I asked."

"And now-" She reached for the spoon by the bed, offering him a large dollop of dripping yogurt, "we are calmly and rationally talking about your issues regarding your adult lady situation."

"My God, Lemon." Jack swallowed it, eyes lit-up. "This is quite the revelation."

"Oprah calls it an 'A-ha moment'," she told him, feeding him another mouthful of yogurt.

Jack licked his lips, then asked her, "So…do you think it's possible that this is what love is meant to be like? Do you think it's possible that we may one day marry, have the children we both desire and live a perfectly wonderful life together?"

"Anything's possible," she said, dropping the spoon back in the tub and licking some remnants off her fingers. "Although if we do, I'm sure we won't do all that without having a few spats along the way."

Jack gave her a knowing smile. "Are you saying that just to make me feel better?"

"No-no," she assured him, "You can be incredibly irritating sometimes."

"As can you be."

"And I disagree with you a lot. Like, over half the time."

"Likewise, Elizabeth."

"But, Jackery-" She held up a finger, leaning toward him and lowering her voice to something like seriousness. "I will always tell you when I do. So…if it's games and deception and drama you're after then you've come to the wrong lady."

Jack gazed at her a moment. He smiled a soft smile. "I love you."

"And I love you." She smiled back. "See how perfect that works out? See how easy that was?"

"I see." He bobbed his head a few times. "So you want to have sex again?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "Can I be on top this time?"

"Absolutely. Can you take your t-shirt off this time?" he asked, already fiddling with the hem.

"Hey, if it makes you happy." Liz straightened, lifted the t-shirt over her head and threw it away, letting her hair drop back to her shoulders. "Cos that's what I'm all about. Making my dude happy and you're my dude, dude."

"It makes this dude very happy," he sighed, gaze immediately dropping and hands lifting to her chest. "I love your breasts."

"And I love what you do to them. Again, works out perfect."

"It really does, doesn't it?"

"Yup." Liz watched him a moment, his expression instantly rapt, suddenly diverted, utterly untroubled. "So…crisis averted then?"

"Yes, Lemon." He looked up, meeting her gaze, not removing his hands from her flesh. "Thankyou for talking me down."

"No problem," she replied, shrugging as his fingers worked her gently. "That's what girlfriends do. Good ones anyway. And I'm a good one."

"Yes, you are a very good one."

"And-" she paused, gasping softly, leaning into his touch. "I'm sure we'll get used to it."

"Used to what?"

"You know…our situation. The love stuff. Being happy."

Jack slid his palms round to her back, drawing her toward him. "I can feel us getting used to it already."

"Good. Yeah…" Liz moved closer, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him once then smiled. "Me too."

END.