Title: I Want To Hold Your Hand
Author: Carly
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to 2.19
Character(s)/Pairing(s): JA, study group
Disclaimer: I don't own Community.
Summary: Five times Jeff held Annie's hand.
One
"OK, if you're against it, raise your hand." Jeff put his arm in the air along with Britta and Shirley. "And if you're in favor of it?" Abed, Troy and Pierce raised theirs. "Well that was helpful," he sighed. "Annie, you need to make a decision so we're not tied."
Annie jolted from her stupor and noticed everyone staring at her. "Sorry, what?"
"We're narrowing down new subjects for next semester, remember?"
Troy leant forward on the table and fixed Annie with a determined gaze. "We really want your vote for the Star Trek class. Like... really." He narrowed his eyes even more before giving up. "See? I can't even mind meld you. I need this class!"
"I can't do this right now," said Annie, suddenly packing up her belongings.
"Sure you can," coaxed Jeff. "You're either a giant nerd or you're not."
"Don't listen to him," said Pierce. "I'd say he's green with jealousy but his Doritos-colored tan has confused me."
"Opening a packet of cookies confuses you, Pierce."
"Your mom's a cookie!"
"Guys, I'm going to be late for work! Can we just hurry up and vote?" said Britta. "I've already grovelled to get my job back once before; I don't need to do it again."
"That reminds me, Britta, I'm going to bring my boys in for a milkshake after school," smiled Shirley.
"Awesome. Oh, but don't order the strawberry flavor. Someone hallucinated on one the other night and thought they were a chicken." She looked proud. "I did get my very first tip out of it, though."
"Was the tip to find a better job where half your customers aren't drugged up to the eyeballs?" asked Jeff.
He was distracted by a loud sniff from Annie, who flung her bag on her back and rushed out the door, her necklace rattling in her wake. Everyone glanced at one another in confusion.
"OK," said Jeff, "what just happened?"
"Maybe she got scared thinking about the chicken person?" said Troy. "That kind of stuff can lead to nightmares – like when Pierce was on his pain meds and thought he was a bulldog." Troy shuddered at the memory. "He kept trying to bite me and pee on the furniture."
The group paused to let that horrifying image sink in before Jeff shook his head. "It wasn't that. Annie's been strangely quiet all morning."
"That's true," said Shirley. "She didn't even bat an eyelid when Duncan said he wanted to add two extra chapters to our revision and make us write a limerick about male appendages."
"There once was a man from Venus, who..."
"Shut up, Pierce," said Jeff. "Abed, what's your take?"
"Annie did appear more frail than usual, but I don't think she's due for a special episode," Abed mused. "Her accessories may hold the key."
"Her accessories?"
"Well, her necklace to be more specific."
Jeff tried to think back to what Annie was wearing. Something colorful and noisy but he couldn't quite place the significance. "Screw this, I'm just going to follow her. She can't have gone too far." Jeff scooped up his folder. "And no voting while I'm gone, I don't care how 'revolutionary' The Barenaked Ladies Stripped Even Barer class is!"
Taking a shortcut to the car park Jeff reached his Lexus just in time to see Annie get into her own car. Counting to ten, he discreetly drove out of the campus after her, figuring he'd talk to her when she got home. Jeff had only been there once before with the rest of the group when they worked on an Anthropology project together. He just hoped this time there wouldn't be a drunken guy in the hallway wearing nothing but underwear and a top hat.
After a short while, however, Jeff realized that Annie wasn't driving the route to her apartment. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach when she turned into the entrance of the local cemetery. Part of him knew that he should just do a complete 180 and give Annie some privacy, but the other, more vocal, part of him wanted to stay in case she needed someone. Parking a short distance away he watched as Annie approached a small gathering of people at a gravesite. She hugged a few of them but spent most of the ceremony alone, toying with her necklace.
When the burial was over, Annie headed back towards the parking lot. But instead of going to her own car she made a beeline for Jeff's. Annie calmly opened the passenger door and climbed in while Jeff fidgeted in his seat.
"I saw you follow me," said Annie quietly.
Jeff just nodded as she wiped some tears away with her sleeve. "I know I probably shouldn't have stayed but I was worried about you. We were worried about you."
Annie remained silent for a moment before meeting Jeff's eye. "That was my friend Bob." She lifted up her necklace. "Bottle cap Bob."
The connection suddenly dawned on Jeff. "You were in Narcotics Anonymous together. I'm so sorry, Annie."
"He really looked out for me in those meetings y'know?" she said wistfully. "He'd tell me all about his kids and I'd tell him about my boy troubles. Well, Troy troubles. It was nice to chat about normal things."
Jeff followed her gaze out the window where a woman about Annie's age placed a bouquet of roses on Bob's grave. "Did he have a relapse?"
Annie's eyes filled up. "No, he had a heart attack. That's the cruelty of it all." Her voice wavered. "He worked so hard to get his life back on track and this was his reward. It's just so unfair, he didn't deserve this."
Jeff slowly reached out and placed his hand over Annie's, stroking her wrist with his thumb. She gave him a watery smile in return.
"I wish I could have met him," said Jeff. "Maybe scored some bottle cap cufflinks or something," he added, squeezing her hand.
"That would have been nice."
Before they left, Jeff accompanied Annie to Bob's grave where she took off her necklace and placed it reverently on the fresh mound of dirt.
Two
Jeff cast a disapproving eye over Annie as she sat down next to him on the bench. "Please tell me you didn't just spend ten bucks at the palm reading booth."
"I didn't," Annie countered. "It was fifteen."
"It's like you enjoy throwing your money down the toilet," he said incredulously. "You do realize that it's all just a bunch of crap, right? That 'Mystic Margaret' or whoever the hell it is probably works at Burger King for a living and gets her predictions off the internet?"
"Geez thanks for bringing down the fun, Britta," said Annie, rolling her eyes. "I didn't recognize you at first with all that facial stubble."
"Well I'm sorry we can't all live in a world of magic like you, Harry Potter."
Annie shielded her eyes from the sun and took in the hustle and bustle of Greendale's 'Scold the Black Mold' carnival. "I don't see how I'm wasting my money when this is a fundraising event, Jeff."
He folded his arms. "You could have at least spent it on something else. You're only encouraging that charlatan."
"I actually thought she had some very interesting predictions."
"Like what?" he scoffed. "You'll meet someone, get married and live a long and happy life? That's palm reading 101."
"She said I have an admirer in one of my classes," said Annie, matching his folded arm stance with her own.
"Well I hope you and white George Foreman have a fantastic life together selling grills."
"Don't worry, we will." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm going to find Abed and Troy at the dunking machine; at least they know how to have fun."
"Wait up a sec," said Jeff, uncrossing his arms. "Give me your hand."
"What? Why?"
"I'll bet I can give Mystic Moron a run for her money."
"Just let it go, Jeff," she sighed.
"No, I'm going to show you how easy it is to tell people what they want to hear."
"Are you going to keep bugging me until I say yes?"
"I've already cleared my schedule."
With as much put-on derision as she could muster, Annie dangled her hand in front of her. "Dazzle me."
Smirking, Jeff clasped her hand in his own and pretended to study it intently. "Ah, just as I thought, you have lines of differing lengths on your palm thanks to genetics, what are the odds?"
"Is this the impressive part, or did I already miss it?"
He traced his finger over the heel of her hand. "Your health line looks OK; except for this crease here which my psychic powers tell me is from when someone works for twelve hours straight on a diorama and ends up injuring themselves."
"I told you I wouldn't let that happen again," said Annie, looking sheepish. "I already learnt my lesson – if you fall asleep on Stonehenge you're going to wake up with it super glued to your face."
"And wasn't that a fun trip to the emergency room." Jeff sought out a new section. "And here we have the heart line. Oh look, you're gonna hook up with a tall, dark and handsome guy."
"Tall, huh? That sounds intriguing." She innocently raised her eyebrows. "When might this guy make himself available?"
The insinuation wasn't lost on him. "I don't know... maybe one day soon?"
"How soon?" she pressed, feeling emboldened. "Is that like the true meaning of soon or is it more 'I actually don't want to put a timeframe on things' soon?"
"Why can't soon just mean soon?" Jeff paused and scrunched up his nose. "And is it just me or does the word soon sound really weird now?"
"I thought you were supposed to be dazzling me, subject-changer?"
"OK, maybe... sometime during your college years."
Annie let out an exasperated laugh. "A vague and non-committal answer. Yep, that definitely sounds like a guy I'd have in my life." She met his eye, pleased to see that he appeared the slightest bit uncomfortable.
"I think that might be enough dazzling for now," he said, releasing her hand and holding out his own. "How about you do me?" he added with a playful grin.
Resisting the urge to swat his chest, Annie took his hand and ran her thumb over his palm. "Hmm, that looks about right."
"What does?"
"Your pick-up lines are terrible." She smirked at him and let go of his hand. "Come on, let's go find the others."
Three
Shirley cautiously approached Jeff, who had been standing next to the food table for the past ten minutes staring across the decorated cafeteria.
"You're doing a good job there," she said, making him jump.
"Huh? With what?"
"Playing bodyguard to the fruit punch," she added, nodding at the bowl. "I'm assuming that's why you're loitering here with a scowl on your face and not because you're keeping an eye on Annie and her date."
Jeff scoffed at her. "I am not scowling. And even if I was, it's not because of Annie and Penny Loafers over there. I'm merely expressing my disgust at being coerced into yet another lame school dance."
"Mmm-hmm," said Shirley, pursing her lips.
"Seriously. I've got better things to worry about than some guy Annie's dating, who has never played an album in his life and thinks a landline's near the equator," he finished with a mutter.
"Whatever you say, Jeffrey." She scooped a ladle full of punch into a paper cup. "I'll be over by the blow-up flamingos if you get tired of brooding."
Jeff just shook his head as Shirley walked away and he resumed his stance of scanning the crowd. If Annie and her little boy toy just happened to be in his line of vision at the time it couldn't be helped. But Jeff was disappointed to discover that they had disappeared somewhere. He frowned and tried to remember how many janitors' closets were on this floor.
"Hey Jeff, enjoying the dance?" Annie smiled as Jeff looked startled.
"God, what is it with people sneaking up on me tonight?" he breathed, trying to maintain his composure. "Should I check to see if Britta's hiding under the table?"
"I think she's too busy busting a move with Troy to worry about that," said Annie, pointing to the dance floor where their friends were flailing around.
"Giving her breakdancing lessons is only going to end in tears, and I don't think they're going to be Britta's." Jeff smiled before realizing something. "Hey, where's your date gone? Don't tell me he bailed on you?"
"No, Sean's still here. He's just talking with some of our Psychology classmates about an experiment we did."
"And you passed up a chance to be studious and join in? Annie, are you feeling OK?"
"I'm fine," she laughed. "I just wanted to come and see you guys, I feel like I haven't spoken to you all night."
"Well I can tell you that you haven't missed out on much. Pierce and Troy had a scintillating conversation on the merits of owning a whoopee cushion. And Britta and Shirley tried to talk Abed out of unleashing the 'mad scientist' version of himself on some poor girl."
"I suppose that's a step up from vampire Abed."
"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Jeff took a long gulp of his drink. "So, how is young Sean anyway? I've gotta say, he's wearing the heck out of that polo shirt isn't he?"
"Be nice, Jeff," she warned.
"I am being nice. And that sweater draped over his shoulders? Man that's great. Is there a tennis match I don't know about?" Jeff dodged as Annie threw her napkin at him, but she had a hint of a smile on her lips.
"You don't get to pick on people's outfits when I know what you're wearing right now probably cost more than what I fork out for rent each month."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
The energy in the room changed around them as the music transitioned into a slower tempo. Annie and Jeff watched in amusement as Britta and Troy shuffled awkwardly near one another before deciding to head back to the group. Leonard pushed past with one of his hipster lady friends in a mad rush for the floor, knocking Annie into Jeff along the way.
"Hey, watch it prune features!" Jeff yelled, holding onto Annie's arm to steady her. He wasn't surprised when Leonard just blew a raspberry at him. "Is it wrong to have an arch nemesis that's nearly a hundred? Because I swear if he..."
"Don't worry about it, he's harmless," said Annie, smoothing out her dress. "Thanks for catching me."
"Any time."
Annie broke off their shared smile first. "Maybe I should go check on—"
"Do you want to dance?"
"Huh?"
They stared at one another in bewilderment – Jeff because his brain just caught up with what his mouth blurted out, and Annie because, well, Jeff hated school dances.
"Did... you just ask me to dance?"
"I think so?"
"Has someone spiked the punch?"
"I think so?" He saw a flicker of disappointment flit across Annie's face and felt guilty. "But that probably just made it more drinkable. So, um, do you wanna..?" Jeff held out his arm, smiling when she linked it with hers.
He led her onto the floor, trying to block out the 'told you so' vibes he could feel radiating across the room from Shirley, and just focus on dancing with Annie. His friend Annie. In a friendly... slow... bodies pressed against one another kind of way if the other couples were anything to go by and oh God, Leonard was grinding. Jeff quickly steered Annie in the opposite direction.
They were like a pair of fumbling middle schoolers at first, but Jeff soon took the lead wrapping one arm around Annie's waist and holding her hand with the other. She smiled and relaxed into him, draping her free arm across his shoulder. They swayed in a circle for a while, Annie feeling thankful she wore her highest heels that night even if that did make her slightly taller than Sean.
"This always looks easier in the movies," said Jeff.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, when two people end up dancing the guy's usually some kind of freak Fred Astaire spawn." He looked down at his feet. "I have two signature moves – step left and step right."
Annie let her hand graze ever so slightly towards his shirt collar. "You're doing fine by me."
"How's Sean's moves?" Jeff asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone. "He seems like the type of guy who could fit right into a boy band."
"I'm not sure," Annie shrugged, keeping her eyes downward. "We haven't really... danced yet."
"Oh... did you want to find him?"
"Not right now. Maybe later."
Jeff curled his arm tighter around Annie's waist as she gently rested her head on his chest. Neither one of them knew when their fingers had woven together. And when the song came to an end, neither one of them wanted to let go.
Four
Troy took off one of his socks and swung it around his head with glee before throwing it into the corner of Abed's dorm room. "Oh yeah, that's right, lap it up ladies," he grinned, wriggling his toes for Britta and Annie. "And dudes if that's your thang."
"I don't want to speak for Abed, but I can tell you that's definitely not my thang," said Jeff, taking a swig of beer. "Hurry up and deal the next hand, Britta."
"Geez, keep your shirt on. Oh, wait, you can't because you suck at strip poker!" Britta shuffled the deck with a smug smile.
Annie let her gaze fall onto Jeff's abs before turning her attention back to the game. "I don't think this is a good idea anymore."
"It's not my fault strip Go Fish was shot down," said Troy. "I keep telling you it's sexier than it sounds."
"There's no harm in letting off a little steam after exams, Annie," said Britta, giving her some cards. "Especially ones that kicked our butts more than usual. And at least it might take your mind off the Sean thing for a while."
Annie winced. Her break-up still felt raw, even though it was a fortnight ago and she was the one who did the dumping. "It just feels like we've stepped into one of Abed's weird TV versus real life plots," she said, shooting a guilty look towards her friend. "No offence, Abed."
"None taken," he replied, scooping up some peanuts. "In all honesty this is kind of dull. It seems a lot more interesting on TV. Maybe we should just go back to movie night?"
"It's only dull because we're not playing it right," scoffed Jeff. "In what universe is underwear poker a fun alternative?"
"In the universe where friends don't really need to see their other friends' bits," said Britta. "I may want to let off some steam, but we're not at the Playboy mansion here."
Annie shifted uncomfortably on her couch cushion on the floor. "Maybe I should just go."
"You can't go yet," Jeff teased, "you might get to take off your other earring if you lose the next round."
Annie looked at her pile of discarded belongings (her watch and her left earring) compared to Jeff's (shirt, shoes, belt, socks), Britta's (boots and jacket), Abed's (t-shirt, shoes) and Troy's (shoes, left sock and jeans, which he decided to take off first).
Britta poked her in the arm. "Ooh, or you might take out a bobby pin or two."
"Or she might take her skirt off!" said Troy, his laughter fading out when everyone stared at him. "Yeah, I may have had a bit too much no-no juice tonight."
"Oh yeah, laugh it up, Annie's a prude," said Annie, rolling her eyes. "Real original, guys. Why don't you just pick on my study habits next?" She sat up with a little more authority. "You don't know me as well as you think you do."
"I'm sure you're right, Annie," said Jeff, his tone the equivalent of a condescending head pat. "Maybe you'll surprise us and take off your necklace next?" He grinned when he could see he was getting under her skin. "Let's just get on with things so this whirlwind of excitement can end. Are you in or are you out?"
She got a steely glint in her eye. "In. Hold this." She shoved her hand of cards at Jeff and stood up, unzipping the back of her skirt. He stared at her, along with the others, as she carefully wriggled out of it and let it drop to the ground before taking her seat again. Jeff couldn't help noticing she was wearing black lacy underwear beneath her stockings.
"What was that?" he asked in a slightly dazed voice.
"Just levelling out the playing field." Annie took her cards back and gave him a triumphant look. "Surprise."
"Finally," said Abed. "Something interesting."
"I know, man," said Troy in awe. "I totally have psychic powers! I'm thinking about an item of Britta's clothing next," he said, going for his best seductive look.
"And I'm thinking about an item I can throw at your head." Britta replied in a falsely sweet tone. "Psychic powers are fun aren't they?"
While they were bickering, Jeff held out his beer bottle towards Annie. "Well played."
She smiled and clinked her soda can against it. "Thanks."
Five
Annie and Jeff sat next to one another, facing in different directions. Annie grew more and more agitated with Jeff and his insistence on jiggling his leg, like that was somehow going to make the time go quicker.
"Can you just not?" she growled at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry am I annoying you?" he replied sarcastically. "I'd get up and go for a walk but there's the small problem of this." Jeff held up his left hand, which was attached to Annie's right. "Did Stonehenge teach us nothing?"
"Don't take your anger out on me; I wasn't the one wielding the super glue this time." She yanked his hand back down to her side of the armrest. "If Troy ever asks us to hold a diorama in place again we say no."
"Or we super glue his head to his butt." Jeff exhaled loudly. "How long have we been waiting for now?"
"Half an hour."
"That's ridiculous. Emergency rooms are ridiculous."
"I'm pretty sure the man with the gaping chest wound trumped our stupidity crisis, Jeff."
"Maybe we should have brought him some super glue," he muttered. "Where is this stuff from anyway? I feel like my skin's on fire."
Annie shrugged. "I don't know, the Dean had a big supply of it at school."
"Of course he did. What's the bet he bought it on the black market? We're probably going to have to get our hands amputated."
"Feel free to stop freaking me out at any time." She peered down at their hands and tried to peel off the various bits and pieces stuck to it. "I don't think we should have tried to sandpaper them apart."
"Desperate times, desperate measures." He pulled at something pink and fluffy attached to his thumb. "Although I have no idea where the feathers have come from."
"They're off my pen. Remember? Britta tried to wedge our hands apart with it?"
"I think I was too busy trying to strangle Troy to notice."
They sat in silence for a while, attempting to ignore the sneezing, coughing and spluttering going on around them. Annie inspected their hands, noting how small hers was compared to Jeff's. It was weird that they still seemed to fit somehow.
"Why are you in such a rush anyway?" said Annie, drawing Jeff's attention away from a dog-eared copy of People magazine. "Have you got a hot date tonight or something?"
"As a matter of fact I do."
"Oh."
"A hot date with my big screen TV and the pizza I allow myself every six months."
"Allow yourself? It's just pizza, Jeff, not a gallon of lard."
"You say that now, but everything adds up, Annie, until one day you have to use a crane to get yourself off the couch because you've turned into the Stay Puft guy." He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Or whatever."
"I think the Stay Puft guy's kind of cute," Annie shrugged, finding another feather to peel off her skin.
"You think vampires that sparkle are cute; I don't really trust your judgement." He tried to remain aloof but couldn't help the smile tugging at his mouth.
"This pizza must be pretty good to have you so wound up," she teased.
"It's the best," said Jeff, dreamily. "All that cheese and pepperoni and mushrooms and sauce... and did I mention the cheese? None of that processed junk, the good stuff."
"That does sound good. Much more appealing than the Spaghettios waiting for me at home."
"Did you want to maybe come over for dinner?" He felt stupidly nervous when she stared up at him in surprise. "I'm just trying to save you from a meal that looks like the inside of a brain tumour."
"Gross!" She whacked his arm. "I've got five cans of that to get through."
"Well tonight you can have the best pizza in America instead."
Annie smiled at him, hoping he didn't notice how hot her palm suddenly felt. "OK, you're on."
"Ms Edison? Mr Winger?" A doctor looked around the waiting room expectantly.
"Finally," sighed Jeff, standing up carefully so he wouldn't jerk Annie around like a rag doll.
The doctor peered at her clipboard when they approached. "Well, well, we meet again Stonehenge."
Twenty minutes and a few patches of blistered skin later, Annie and Jeff emerged from the hospital with their hands bandaged
"If anyone asks, I didn't yelp like a little girl when she ripped our hands apart OK?" said Jeff.
"And I didn't drop the f-bomb," replied Annie, cringing at the memory.
"Deal. Although that was extremely satisfying."
They made their way towards Annie's car. "Today's adventure's probably enough to put you off holding someone's hand for life, hey?" she said lightly, rummaging through her purse for her keys.
"I don't know. It could happen again one day soon," said Jeff, leaning across the top of her car. "Minus the super glue of course."
"Soon, huh?" she said, playfully dragging out the word.
Jeff smirked. "Let's just go and eat."
End