A/N: So I was quite alright with Season 6 and I am 100% happy that Jess and Nick got together, and Cece and Schmidt having a baby and stuff. Besides the fact that Sad!Jess broke my heart, I was upset at the pace with which everything picked up suddenly (pretty sure that was because of whether or not the show would be renewed and they wanted to wrap things up) as I'd been looking forward to the build up. This is my own version and I will try to stay true to the show's characters (except for the little fictionalising of Abby-Jess' relationship). Not good at light-hearted but will try, lol. Picks up right after the SOCALYALCON VI (S06E19). Also, I wish Schmidt hadn't prompted Nick and that the latter had come to the realization himself.

First fan fic, so please let me know what you think, thanks :)

xoxo

Chapter 1 - Of Cupcakes and the High Five of Peace

As Cece finished speaking to Jess for the night, her phone rang again.

Nick.

"Hey Nick," she said. She'd been expecting his call.

"Is Jess home?"

"Uh, no. No, she's not," Cece said, debating whether or not to tell him where she was, and how would she answer the following tirade of questions?

"I can't reach her. I'm worried! She left so suddenly."

Cece bit her lip, making a quick decision. "She went back to Portland. Family emergency."

"Family emergency!? Is Bob okay? And Joan?"

"Yes, don't worry, Nick. Ashley's on a vacation and Bob…. Fell ill…..?" she finished, unsurely. "Nothing serious," she added hastily. "Only needed someone to take care of him."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll call her later then."

I need some space from him, Cece.

"Actually, Nick, don't call her. You know how she gets when she's worried. Give her some time and I'm sure she'll call you back when she's ready." Cece hoped Nick would listen and stay put.

"Alright, thanks Cece," he sighed.

Schmidt came out of the bathroom in his 'mono and walked over to the bed, looking at Cece questioningly.

Cece shook her head. "It was Nick."

Schmidt rolled his eyes. "Nicholas. So blind," he muttered, getting into bed.

Shuffling closer to him, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Never you mind, Cecelia… Never you mind," he mumbled. He put an arm around her, and both of the sighed contently.

"Schmidt, I know we've been married for hardly a year but what do you think about children," asked Cece slowly.

Pause.

"Thought you'd never ask," grinned Schmidt, kissing her.

...

Nick went back to the hotel room, where Reagan was waiting. "What happened? Any news about her? Is she okay?"

He nodded, sitting down next to her while she looked at him concerned, waiting for more information. "She went back to Portland. Her father fell ill, and Ashley was not home, so…" he trailed away.

"At least we know she's alright, although I don't understand why she couldn't just tell us," Reagan wondered out loud. "But then again, it is quirky little Jess," she laughed.

Nick nodded, but he knew Reagan was right. As crazy as Jess might be, she wouldn't have left without telling him why. Or maybe she had to leave in a hurry; but why didn't she at least leave a text. He had a lot of questions, and started to voice them to Reagan, who looked at him puzzled.

"You're probably overthinking this, Nick," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe," he murmured.

...

It was 8:15 a.m., Saturday morning. Jess was baking away to glory in the morning, swinging to Shake It Off.

Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break

"Yeahh, that's right, Taylor. Preach!"

And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

I shake it off, I shake it off

"Hell, yes, I will. I will shake it off. Shake it all off. Shake. It. Off," she said, finishing the frosting of her lemon cupcake with a flourish of her hand. She chuckled to her self and proceeded to the next one.

It'd been a week since she'd been home and it turned out to be a good decision. She was staying with her Dad as he was alone and recovering from his divorce from Ashley, while visiting her mother and Abby almost everyday. She had left her phone in her sock drawer on silent mode, and the battery had probably died by now. Any important communication regarding school came to her on her email; the one she used specifically for work. She kept in touch with Cece via Skype on "Busy" mode, and everyone else she needed to talk to was right here in Portland. At home.

Her father was still asleep when she was done with baking. Leaving him a note of her whereabouts, she headed to her mother's house with a box of the lemon cupcakes.

"Abby?" she called out as she unlocked the front door and went in, and immediately she smelled something burning. She ran towards the kitchen quickly to see her sister standing over an abyssmal mound of sizzling black.

"Abby, what... what's that?"

"The alternative to coal," Abby said distressed. "I was really craving cupcakes, Jess!"

Flourishing her cupcake-box, Jess grinned. "Voila!"

Abby chuckled, "Oh you perfect little nerd!" and sat at the table with Jess. "Where's Mom?" Jess asked, opening the box and handing a cupcake to Abby.

"I think she's at her "Book Club" with some friends."

Jess laughed. "Book club. Ha."

"Getting highh... On books", she sang.

Abby shook her head, continuing to look at her. She was getting better, Abby could tell. It had broken her heart to see Jess so torn apart. Nick Miller. She snorted mentally. She knew it wasn't really his fault, but she couldn't help but harbour a certain annoyance towards him. And when she'd seen Jess last week, she was ready to rip him apart.

Abby went to Bob's place in hurry to visit Jess, when Bob had called her frantically, explaining that Jess was home and that she didn't look very good. Her mother had encouraged Abby to go because she knew that despite all their fights, Abby would be able to handle Jess a lot better.

Bob opened the door, worry etched on his face as Abby flew up the stairs to what used to be Jess' room. She could hear the quiet sniffles as she knocked twice before she opened the door.

"Jess?"

Lying down amidst a million pillows, Jess looked up, surprised. "Abby?"

"Hey. Yes, I am still living with Mom and haven't taken off yet," she said, as she sat next to her cross-legged.

Jess chuckled lowly placing her head in Abby's lap.

"When'd you get here?" Abby asked, eying her yet unpacked suitcase, stroking her hair.

"Half an hour ago."

"Jess? What happened?"

Sighing, amidst more tears and sobs, Jess told Abby about Nick, how she'd been his fluffer for so long and how she had fled from SOCALYALCON without telling him.

"What kind of an idiot gets his ex-girlfriend to accompany him and his girlfriend on a trip!?" she fumed.

"It's okay, Abby. I shouldn't have involved myself so much anyway," she muttered.

"Yes well, he shouldn't have let you. He should've had the balls to do his own thing if he wanted this Reagan chick so bad," Abby replied.

...

It'd been a week, and still no word from Jess. It was driving Nick insane, and Reagan, while she was worried about Jess, failed to understand why Nick had to let it effect him so.

"Nick, I understand why you'd be worried! But you can't let it effect you so much! We've been back four days and all you do is worry about her! She's fine, she's gone to take care of her father. You worrying is not going to make that any better. Cece told you to wait for her to call, so you simply wait. I don't understand why you are making it so complicated!" she said, her voice raising with every sentence.

"It is complicated, Reagan!"

"Oh, is it? Let me break it down for you. Her father is ill, she's taking care of him and is probably quite busy, so she'll call you when things start to look up on her end! It's that simple!"

"You wouldn't understand," Nick muttered. "You simply wouldn't understand. It's Jess! She's not the kind to pull disappearing acts, Reagan! Her phone is switched off as well and she's not checking her mail either."

Reagan huffed. "She clearly wants to be left alone at this time, Nick!"

"What would you know? You don't tell anyone anything about how you're feeling and don't appreciate it when people talk to you about it either! So, tell me. How. Would. You. Know."

Winston and Aly heard them fight, not the first time this week, and it ended in Nick offering a high-five in a high-pitched, not the first time this week.

"Ahh, the High Five of Peace," said Aly. "I supposed it is safe to step out now," she laughed nervously.

Winston shook his head, mysteriously saying, "Only a matter of time..."