A/N: Came up with this one randomly! Definitely not dark like my last fic, but still has some angst! Enjoy and Review!
Jeff pulled up to Shirley and Andre's driveway. It had been a week since the couple had gotten remarried, and they had decided to celebrate by inviting the group to their home for a nice dinner party. Troy and Abed were more than excited, as they were ready to prove to Elijah and Jordan that they weren't acting like grown-ups anymore due to their unpleasant and normal encounter with the boys a week earlier. The rest of the group was also looking forward to the two of them shutting up about wanting to act like pirates.
When he rang the doorbell, Andre opened it and greeted Jeff, who was soon enveloped in a tight hug from Shirley. After hanging up his coat and taking a couple seconds to touch up his hair subconsciously, Jeff entered the living room. Sure enough, Troy and Abed had wasted no time in jumping into their revised roles of "Admiral Spacetime and Captain Reggie", which the boys had accepted wholeheartedly. Jeff smirked to himself; he had to admit that he still thought space pirates sounded kickass.
His eyes then drifted to Pierce, who was pretending to peruse the Bennett's home with great interest with a glass of wine in his hand. Being accustomed to that way of living Jeff of course knew what he was really doing, which was pretending to be interested in their home so as to appear classier. He made a mental note to talk with Pierce later about where he stood with this home, as he knew it would no doubt lead to an interesting, but completely inappropriate and ridiculous critique of the house.
Britta and Annie were in the kitchen, and Britta looked as if she would rather be anywhere but in that specific room. Jeff knew she was good at cooking because she actually made him dinner once after she had tricked him into babysitting her cats. The reason she was annoyed though, was because she was a woman who was willingly helping to cook dinner. Jeff knew Britta probably hated herself for falling into one of those 'predetermined gender roles' that she despises with so much passion. He would rub that in her face later.
And finally there was Annie. Jeff noticed that she was not at all sulking like Britta, and was thoroughly enjoying helping Shirley (who had now returned to the kitchen) by making garlic bread to go with her lasagna. Jeff noticed how happy she looked; she seemed so content here and relatively stress free, especially considering that the new semester just started. He decided that today he wouldn't ruin that. Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to talk to her, but Jeff resolved to not bring up recent developments in his love life, for Annie's benefit. The rest of the group hadn't found out yet anyway, and he would introduce them all when he felt the time was right. He thought he was doing a pretty good job at keeping the 'subconscious smiling without reason' to himself in the solitude of his own home until then.
The woman's name was Natalie, and Jeff had met her one night at (surprise surprise) a bar. But she was different; she wasn't a bimbo, she was surprisingly down to earth and Jeff felt good being able to have an actual conversation with her. She was also compassionate, which was a trait that Jeff had learned to admire through...other people he knew. He assumed that Natalie had learned this trait through her job, as she worked in a children's daycare. Over the Christmas break she had taken him there once, which he actually enjoyed. He admired how she was able to deal with kids so well. God...I'm becoming such a sap.
The most important quality that his new girlfriend possessed however is that she made Jeff feel like a better person. He had finally met someone who made him feel good about acting like a good person without the burden of being in his group of lovable misfits. He found that since he often had to watch over the study group, they didn't really do much to change how he acted outside of school, no matter how much he wanted to do just that. That's not to say he never loved the group of course, but he just wasn't influenced strongly enough by them. But Natalie was different; she was independent. Jeff knew she liked him, but he also knew that he wouldn't have to hold her hand when she made a mistake. It was liberating knowing that she had a life of her own to lead. She was happy to have a boyfriend, but wasn't clingy or needy. Not to mention she was around her late twenties, as opposed to the hot, but still naive young girl he used to have feelings for. In a way, Natalie reminded Jeff of Slater, except she wouldn't care enough to try and compete for his affections. Jeff loved that about her; it was so nice to know he didn't have to always be afraid of making Natalie jealous by being himself around women. She understood how he had a natural charm; after all, he got her.
"Look out!"
Jeff was suddenly jolted from his thoughts by a plastic sword hitting him right square in the jaw. He groaned, and Troy looked at him with a wide grin on his face, obviously trying to hide his laughter while the boys rolled around on the floor laughing manically. "Sorry, dude", he said as he picked up the sword. "I was trying to prove to Abed that swords were just like big throwing knives." Jeff just walked away from him towards the kitchen, subconsciously rubbing his chin more out of worry for how he looked than actual pain. He heard Troy and boys laugh again as he walked over to the girls.
"Miladies", said Jeff as he walked towards the stove. He noticed Annie frown for a fraction of a second before turning to him, beaming. He assumed this was because he had used his special nickname for her in the plural. He silently cursed himself for being so dumb. Great start, Winger. He was eager to lighten the mood, so he took a moment to make fun of his blonde friend, who still looked utterly peeved to be there. He smirked at her. "I never expected to see the queen of women's rights standing in such a clichéd, but compromising position. Honestly Britta, if you're going to be a hypocrite like usual at least be more creative." She didn't even bother responding to him, but instead grunted loudly and walked out of the kitchen to join Troy, Abed and the boys. Shirley and Annie just laughed, and Jeff felt proud to have successfully cleared the air of any awkwardness.
"Jeffery, I need to go and speak with Andre for a moment so would you please make sure to take my lasagna back out of the oven in 5 minutes?" Jeff nodded, and Shirley left abruptly to go rescue her husband from Pierce, who was no doubt finding some way to insult his modest home. Annie took out her garlic bread, pleased with how it had turned out and placed it on top of the stove. She then removed her apron and turned to Jeff, smiling brightly. "I gotta say, I'm a little surprised you showed up, Jeff. A dinner party with a remarried couple and two kids pretending to be pirates doesn't seem like your scene." Jeff grinned at her before glancing into the living room to see Troy, who was currently tied up with Jordan back to back and being held captive by Abed and Elijah. "Well in my defense, I tend to hang out with those two kids pretty regularly anyway," said Jeff. Annie giggled before turning back to cut the 2 long loafs of garlic bread. "You know they're usually not too bad, Jeff. Especially when you live with them. I found that you get used to their antics even quicker due to being forced to be in a confined space with them." Jeff bent down to open the oven and grab Shirley's lasagna. "Well I'm still glad I don't sleep 2 meters away from them. A guy's gotta have his own solitude sometimes y'know?" Jeff left out the fact that Natalie had spent the last 3 nights with him in his own bed.
Shirley had called everyone to come eat soon, and after a slightly awkward moment where the Bennett's said grace, everyone had begun eating and engaging in casual conversation. Jeff had to admit, Shirley had outdone herself with the lasagna, and Annie's garlic bread was equally delicious. The salad that Britta made was decent too, but Jeff figured he wouldn't thank all the ladies for the food at once at the table, as Britta would probably not accept it anyway due to her stupid views. "So," said Andre catching the attention of the group, "how was everyone's Christmas break? I don't go to school with you guys and Shirley's told me bits and pieces, but I'd love to hear it in more detail from you guys." Pierce perked up at the question, finding this as the perfect opportunity to gloat about something that probably wasn't true. "Well Andre, I spent most of my break tasting wine and going to fancy parties that only former business owners would know anything about. Oh, to be reacquainted with the joys of upper-class living. Sorry for rubbing it in, Jeffery." Jeff simply shook his head, content with leaving the comment alone and letting Pierce delude himself further before Annie jumped in to defend him. "Pierce! Jeff doesn't need a life like that anymore, he has us! I'm sure now he at least cares a little more about people than being materialistic." Britta laughed at this, causing Jeff to glare at her slightly for a second or two. "Don't go praising him just yet, Annie. Jeff still has a ways to go, or have you forgotten that he's currently going to a shrink?" Jeff just scoffed at her. "Keep it up, and I'll tell you that you have a talent for making salad, Britta." At this, the blonde looked back down to her plate and focused on her food, and Jeff revelled in the small victory.
"Annie's right though; Jeff's character dynamic has definitely changed a lot in 3 years," said Abed, who had chosen this moment to give his 2 cents on the apparent character analysis that everyone was doing on Jeff. "Now, he's more open to sharing his feelings and feels that he can confide in people. I think it's good for him, as this behavior could potentially be the start of a new relationship with a lucky lady." This caused everyone at the table to simultaneously let out an "Oooooh", which caused Jeff to bury his face in his hands. Of course, Abed would be the one to know exactly what was going on in Jeff's life at the moment. Strangely though, he noticed that Abed's comment had caused Annie to look down as a blush reached her cheeks, and suddenly felt the overwhelming need to change the subject.
"Look, guys," said a frustrated Jeff. "Can we just move on from this subject? I already have a therapist and Abed, so I don't need any more people delving into my life." Britta cocked her eyebrow at Jeff. "Sounds like someone's getting defensive. Are you sure there isn't someone out there you're hiding from us, Winger?" Troy also looked up from where he and Elijah were throwing carrots at each other. "Yeah! I bet Jeff has a new lady-friend that's got him acting all soft!" said Troy enthusiastically. Everyone except Annie was looking at Jeff now, and he noticed she was somewhat uncomfortable. Somehow though, this went unnoticed by the rest of the table, which was making him annoyed. He had full intentions of not bringing this up today, and yet here was his study group, somehow knowing the combination to the safe where he kept his secrets, as usual.
"There aren't any lady-friends, Troy." said Jeff exasperated. "Maybe I'm just naturally becoming a better person, is that so hard to believe?" At this, the rest of the group fell silent, and he was relieved to finally be rid of that awkward topic of conversation. He noticed though, that everyone still looked doubtful, especially Britta. But Jeff knew that if anyone could figure this out, it would be Abed. He seriously considered pulling him aside later to tell him about Natalie and just get it out of the way. He might be a robot, but he can still keep a secret, thought Jeff. He looked over at Annie again, whose happy demeanor had returned somewhat along with the casual conversation.
That was a close call.