"I don't want this. I don't want you. You're not good enough for me!"
Jac and Fletch both froze as Jac's words filled her office. The silence started to consume them until Fletch uttered one word.
"Liar."
Jac raised one eyebrow, trying to ignore the slight strain in her cheeks from the dried tear tracks.
"Excuse me?"
"You always hit out when you're scared," Fletch said. "When you first got shot, you said that I hadn't been scared away 'yet'. I have tried and tried to show you that I am here for you, and I think you're starting to believe it, and I think that scares you."
"I don't get scared," Jac stated, crossing her arms in front of her body.
"Course you don't'."
The silence fell again, Jac being the first to break eye contact.
"So, what's the real reason that you're fighting against this so hard?"
As Jac pulled her bottom lip between her lips, Fletch took a chance, stepping forward and lightly holding her elbows in his hands, as the arms that she had folded gradually tensed.
"Because," Fletch continued, "I am here for you. I always have been. I always will be. I know I mess around, but I'm not an idiot. I know that we could have something good between us."
Stroking her arms gently, Fletch waited as Jac formulated a response.
"You're right," she eventually whispered, Fletch being careful not to disturb her thought process.
"I just," Jac hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I'm just conscious of the fact that if we try this and things go wrong, I could lose one of the best; and only, friends I've ever had."
"I get that," Fletch whispered, stepping slightly closer, "But what if, instead of ruining our friendship, we make it stronger?"
Jac's hands found their way to Fletch's waist, and she allowed her head to drop forward on to his chest as she gathered her thoughts.
"I don't think you understand what I mean when I talk about your friendship and its importance," she said softly, allowing a lone tear to roll down the side of her face. "I have you, and I have Sacha. That's it. That's my entire friendship circle; my whole f-family."
Fletch felt his resolve crack as he heard her voice crack on the final word of her sentence. He wanted to contradict her, but he couldn't think of anybody else that he could use to contradict her. Ollie? Disappeared to recover from a brain injury. Zosia? In America. Jasmine? Dead. Her mum? Dead. Emma? Just a kid.
Fletch couldn't help himself. He quickly stepped forward and tightly wrapped his arms around her, allowing himself to appreciate the fact that Jac didn't hesitate in returning the embrace.
"What can I do?" he asked. "How can I prove to you that, no matter what, I will be here for you, in whatever way you let me?"
Pulling back, but both still resting their hands on the others hips, Jac shrugged.
"I don't know," she whispered. "There's just too much at stake."
"So, what if we don't involve that for now?"
At Jac's puzzled look, Fletch was quick to clarify.
"I'm assuming you mean work and the kids?" At her nod, Fletch continued. "So, for now, we don't involve them. Work doesn't need to know, and Emma has wanted Theo over for a playdate for ages. We could do the occasional day out, saying it's a playdate for them, but I'll drag the others along too. If it doesn't work out, we can still get along, still have playdates, and still work together. But if it does work? Then we can take it from there."
"You'll get fed up of me," Jac whispered, finally letting herself communicate her true fears.
Stepping forward again, Fletch pulled Jac close, rubbing his hands over her back, waiting until Jac brought her arms up to rest on his back.
"I haven't yet," he whispered. "And if I haven't given up on you when you've repeatedly tried to push me away, why would I give up on you when you're just as invested in what we're doing as I am?"
Fletch waited as Jac considered his words, already trying to decide on his next argument. So he was taken by surprise when Jac moved back slightly, only to stand on tiptoes and place her lips gently against his.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly as they pulled apart. Smiling gently, Fletch lifted Jac's hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it before intertwining their fingers.
"One hundred percent," he confirmed.
This time, Jac was certain. She stepped forward, holding Fletch's face in her hands, and placed her lips against his in a gentle kiss.
Maybe this time, she could get her happily ever after.