This fanfic takes place ten years after the last episode ever aired of TGS.
Jack read his speech one last time. This was the most important event of his campaign – he had to be perfect if he wanted to become Mayor. While he repeated certain key phrases in front of his mirror, he heard the sound of Liddy's voice in the hall and his mother following closely. Jack adjusted his tie and ran a hand through his graying hair. He'd quit dying it several years ago, and he had been used to his new head. Avery entered in the room, Liddy's hand in hers. She looked fantastic – she wore a dark blue dress that highlighted her blue eyes and her blond hair. She has kept the haughty look that so pleased Jack when they had met for the first time, and now exasperated him more than ever. She dropped the little girl's hand and Liddy rushed into the arms of her father. He had no real opportunity to see her anymore – her mother kept her all week, and the only weekends where she could be with him became rarer with the approach of the elections. He blamed himself for not being as present as he wanted to be; Liddy did not seem to suffer though, she looked more like her mother but with a far more humane and altruistic personality. Then he held her in his arms, stroked her hair. They became as brown as him in his youth, and sometimes they reminded him of Liz Lemon. He tried to drive the thought from his head. It was a decade now since he and Liz him had seen each other. There had been some phone calls and some dinners after TGS was cancelled, then simply phone calls, and over the years remained the usual letter of well wishes for the new year.
Jack kissed his daughter on the cheek and smelled the sweet strawberry of her lip gloss. As he put her down on the floor, Avery came closer and hastened to wipe the remains of gloss on his cheek before kissing him. "Morning Jack." "Avery…" She took off her gloves and then she put her coat on the couch with grace. He had to admit, she had this beauty he had sought in most of his conquests of love, but during these last years he has realized that those women had a heart as cold as popsicles. Now, what he wanted was a true love rather than another poisonous beauty around him. What he got from Liddy was sufficient for him, although he would sometimes found himself longing for a wife with whom he could have shared his lonely nights.
"Are you ready?" Avery brought him out of his thoughts. She looked at him, eagerly awaiting his response. He approached the desk and gathered the papers he worked on for over a year. "Yes, I think so." She sighed. "Jack, you have to be sure. This is not the last of the idiots, and you're far from his political experience." He smiled sarcastically. "Thanks for the encouragement." Avery made a face that Jack recognized – she pressed her teeth, mouth closed, and her lower jaw created small, uncontrolled nervous movements. He suppressed a smile and filled his briefcase with all the paperwork he held in his hand. Then he walked towards the door, followed closely by his daughter. He put on his coat and she clung to him. He leaned toward her. Her large blue eyes made him melt every time. "Good luck, Dad." He kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you dear. As longer as I have you with me, my luck will never run out." He smiled.
The debate unfolded perfectly, even if there were two or three issues that caused him some difficulty, he was pleased with himself in general. His teammates decided to celebrate it in one of the most exclusive bars in the area, but he refused politely. He had gotten rid of his drinking habit after great campaigning. Also, a part of him wanted to be alone. He decided to go see a movie – it would change his ideas, and he would not have to hide under his coat in a dark room (reporters were not very fond of movie theaters). He immediately regretted this decision; the theater was filled with families with multiple children. The reminder of his lack of time with Liddy resurfaced – she had left with Avery as soon as the debate ended and he did not even have a chance to say goodbye properly. He turned back and began to walk down the streets. There were still some decorations scattered in recent celebration of the New Year.
He stopped in front of a large shop with televisions in the window. They were all broadcasting different cable channels, he stopped on one that was connected to NBC. He could not hear the sound of what he saw, but the simple symbol of the peacock made him immediately nostalgic. He began to rethink his seven years that he spent in this company, with its endless discussions with Lemon and her favorites expressions, "Lemon out", "I want to go to there"…
"What the what, Jack?" He turned – it was not in his head that the last expression had resonated, but in reality. There were three figures standing in front of him – a girl younger than Liddy, a boy, and a third person, a very thin woman with pretty long wavy brown hair which arrived at her shoulders. He thought that it logically was the mother of the two young children. He slowly approached them.
The mother wiped what seemed to be chocolate spread on the lower half of the boy's face. "I've already told you not to eat while you walk, you're not programmed to do two things at once. That's what girls can do, not boys!" she sighed. Jack could have recognized that voice anywhere. The girl watched him come closer, and pulled on her mother's coat. "Mommy, I'm scared." Liz stood up and followed her daughter's gaze to the man approaching. When she saw Jack, she had a moment of stupor; then a big smile appeared on her face. "Jack?!" She laughed and flung herself at his neck. While they embraced, it felt to him as though they had never left each other. She moved away from him, but still held his arm. "What are you doing here?" Her smile had some extra wrinkles and she had lost a few pounds, which made her face thinner than before. She was strangely dressed more elegantly and tastefully than Jack had known, but she remained the same Lemon she was in his mind.
"Oh, I was walking around a bit…I wanted to be alone after all the fuss from the campaign…you know…" Liz nodded. "Yes, Yes, I saw you, it was amazing…" She laughed. "You were great." Her pressure on his arm did not cease. "I cannot believe I'm seeing you here." Suddenly, the boy clung to her leg. She looked down and raised him from the earth to take him in her arms. "Ah, ah, you want to know who is talking to mommy, hm?" She turned toward Jack and showed him to the little boy. "This is Jack." Jack waved his hand. "And Jack?…" She looked at the little boy she held in her arms. "This is Jack." He had a moment of surprise before smiling and answering: "Nice to meet you, little Jack." Liz smiled, and held out her hand to catch her daughter's. "And this one is Alice." Jack knelt to put himself at the height of the little girl. "Nice to meet you, Alice." She possessed the same beauty as her mother except for emerald green eyes which were not hid behind glasses. The girl remained silent and ducked behind her mother. "She always does that with people she doesn't know." He stood up as little Jack got back on his feet. "This is yours?" She nodded. "Jack is five years old, and Alice is nine." Anticipating his next question she whispered in his ear, "Yes, they are both from my vagina." He grinned. "I guess Criss is the proud father of this two." Liz's smile faded only slightly, and her feelings were expressed in the tone of her voice. "Yes, he is. But… long story short, we divorced five years ago. And well, I haven't heard from him since." She swallowed and her smile almost disappeared completely from her face. "But he is legally their father, yes." Jack blamed himself for having asked. "Liz, I am sorry." She raised her hand to tell him to be quiet. "It's okay. And you know, in five years… Time heals everything. Plus with these two, I have no time to think about myself anymore!" Her smile returned. She looked down at her two offspring, little Jack had once again try to eat a piece of chocolate but it had melted in his fingers and had smeared it on his face. Liz sighed and turned to Jack. "See?" She laughed, and knelt to wash little Jack's face with a Kleenex. "Well it will be better with some water…", she put some saliva on the Kleenex, her son made a grimace of disgust. "No chocolate, no saliva, you choose!" She ended by kissing him on the forehead. She got up, and looked at her phone. "Oh God, I'm sorry Jack I have to go. I have a meeting with my writers, and I have to bring the kids to their nanny…" She looked hesitant. "Um…Have you changed your phone number?" He seemed surprise that she asked. "No, no, same old phone number…" "Great!" She showed him her phone. "I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we could see each other in some place other than between two bins in the streets, right?" He nodded. "Great…" She came closer to his face, he stayed paralyzed as she kissed him on the cheek. "See you…" She waved, a big smile on her face as she walked away from him. He smiled and nodded.
"Hey Jack, it's Liz. Same busy man, right? Uh, I'm calling you as I said I would…(laughs) um…No Jack, stop this is mommy's , stop! …Sorry about that. I'm free tomorrow night so if you want to go out - I don't know, for some dinner or something - well call me back…Uh, you won't be able to reach me tonight, so you can leave me a message if you want…just to say yes or no…um.. and that's it! (laughs) Well I'm expecting your call! Byyye!"
It was the third time he was listening to her message, he had come back very late from a meeting and he had seen it when he was home. Liz was so different from what he had known – she had become a woman, and a beautiful one. Don't Donaghy, don't. Jack didn't know if dinner was a good idea, but he wanted to go out with her. After all, they were great friends, why would everything change after ten years? He poured himself a glass of scotch, and he drank it in one go, then winced when the drink burned his throat. He looked up and took a deep breath. He dialed Liz, it was simple if she had kept her phone despite her job. If she picked up and really wanted to go to dinner, he would say "yes." If he only got her voicemail, he would decline.
After the fifth ring tone, he heard Liz's voice "Liz Lemon speaking….""Hi Liz, it's Jack…""…leave your message after the –" Beeeep. Damn it."Liz, it's Jack, I would love to have dinner with you, but…um I have this… thing…" "Hello?" He stopped talking. "Jack, is it you? I'm sorry, I left my phone on my computer, and by the time I got to the phone, the machine picked up!" She laughed. He regained his voice. "Yes, it's me Lemon! How are you?" "Fine, and you?" "Great…Great…" There was a long a silence. "Um, so for that dinner…I…" But she cut him off. "Yes I was thinking about tomorrow night because I am free and I found a nanny to babysit the children! She even offered to babysit Liddy if you wanted." Gosh, she thought about everything. He couldn't say no. "Okay then."
"Okay? Haha, wonderful! 7PM at my apartment, oh and I've moved so get something to write with." He took a piece of paper on the table next to him, and checked if the pen he had worked. "Yes!" He wrote the address and he realized that it was one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. Damn Liz, what happened to you? "Okay then, I have to go Jack… see you tomorrow! Bye!"
He stood for a moment, the phone in his hand. He sighed and put the phone away and poured another glass of scotch. He couldn't wait to see what surprise Liz Lemon had in store for him.
When he arrived in front of the building the next evening, he was impressed by the size of it. He didn't live in a housing project – quite the contrary – but he had to admit, this building was of a higher standard than his. When he knocked on Liz's door, he realized that he was slightly early. It was Alice who opened the door.
"Hi Alice, may I come in?"
The little girl stood aside to let him pass. As in he walked into the apartment followed by Alice, he noted that it was tastefully arranged, but it appeared the personality of a Liz Lemon, though more mature. Alice passed and stopped him, put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shhh, mommy is asleep!"
"Oh." As he entered in the living room, he saw little Jack playing in front of the TV, in what he would call a "pool toy". And Lemon was lying on the sofa, laptop on top of her, one hand on her forehead, completely asleep. Alice approached her and tugged at her sleeve, while Jack came closer. She wore tight black trousers and a small top with long sleeves, without, he would bet, a bra. Liz woke up when Alice started to shake her. It only took her half a second to realize Jack was standing in front of her. "Hey Jack….I'm sorry, I fell asleep, I slept very little last night." She sat on the couch, and Jack noticed her hair was definitely longer. She closed her computer and stood up, kissed Jack on the cheek and headed to what he guessed was the kitchen. "You want something to drink?" He followed her into the kitchen. These pants should have been forbidden to wear on her, it was indecent. In addition, her breasts had hardened under the influence of cold and no, she was not wearing bra, he was certain now.
She turned toward him, waiting for an answer. "What do you have?" She looked in the cupboard and she said, "Almost everything, scotch, whiskey, brandy, martini…" He interrupted and asked for a scotch. "I knew it! It was your fave, it always has been." She smiled, and he noticed that she only poured one glass. "You don't drink?" She shook her head and thought she should take a shower. "I'm not wearing casual clothes to go out with you Jack, I've to change, you can stay with the children actually, Mary, their nanny shouldn't be long now." She gave him a pat on the shoulder and left the room. He could not help noticing her hips, then looked away, embarrassed.
After twenty minutes, Jack sat on the couch with Alice and little Jack. Their nanny was already there, but she had gone into the kitchen to prepare their meals. Jack was amazed by the intelligence of the little Alice, who had listed all the American presidents, and recited Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. Little Jack was more reserved, but he already knew to read. He had even read a whole page from the New Yorker. Jack wasn't sure that little Jack understood what he was reading, but nevertheless he was very impressed. Liz soon came into the room wearing an elegant black dress with beige heels. She fixed her hair into perfectly organized big ringlets. He smiled when he saw her, she was really gorgeous. She tried somehow to putting on a necklace but it was difficult to attach. She looked up at Jack, and showed him the jewel. "Could you?" She handed him the necklace and lifted her hair to give him access to her neck. As he approached her he felt electricity pass between them. "Sorry." She laughed. "Well the hair dryer didn't help much, either!"
Once he clasped the necklace she repositioned her hair, and he felt the scent of her perfume tickle his nostrils. "Chanel?" She frowned, then smiled. "Yes! Good guess!" He would have recognized this scent among thousand others, it was that he had offered to Avery for a trivial opportunity because its composition was wonderful, but she hated it, and he was sure she had never worn it, either. But anyway it was perfectly fine on Liz, and he was sincerely glad that she wore it.
Little Jack came to sticking to Jack's leg. "You'll stay with us please?" Liz laughed. Alice came closer and said in a solemn tone: "I'm sure you'll be a great mayor!" They both laughed at once. "Yes, honey…" Liz hugged Alice, stroking her hair. "I think so too." She winked at Jack.
She kissed her daughter and her son came to snuggle into her arms to fit into the hug. "Come on little squirrels! Mommy will take a little time out without you tonight!" They moved away from her and returned to their activities. Jack couldn't help but notice the difference between Liz and Avery regarding the motherhood. While Avery was cold and distant with Liddy, Liz was warm and kind with her two children, but knew how to retain a sufficient distance. "Are you coming?" Liz stood in the hallway, her black coat in one hand and her purse in the other. Jack greeted the children, and grabbed his own belongings. "Be good for Mary!" Liz shouted while they coming out of the apartment. Then she turned to Jack: "They love you!" she smiled.
Liz took Jack into a small restaurant chic enough but still very accessible, close to her home. Apparently she was known there. She later explained that it was the same place where she often took her writers to dinners. After a long discussion with her, he learned that she had signed a contract with NBC, and that she had been living for several years in Los Angeles, where she began to develop a TV series project. But the atmosphere of California wasn't what she wanted, so she chose to return to New York, and that's where the relationship with Criss had deteriorated. He could not find work back on the east coast, and he constantly blamed Liz for being a hard worker. Finally, after she found him twice drunk with Alice at home, she demanded a divorce. She didn't know she was pregnant at the time, but discovered it after a few months. She'd had a sort of denial of pregnancy due to all events through the year. "But I'm happy to have Jack, he is the most beautiful present Criss could have given me."
Jack understood much better now why he thought that Liz had changed. All those events in such a short time, it had strengthened her physically and psychologically. After the meal, she offered him to go for a little walk in the streets of the Big Apple. The cold was striking, but the simple act of walking with her was enough to warm him up. She talked a lot, and he realized that he was enjoying listening to her talk, to laugh with her, to be horrified with her. When he accompanied her home, he said: "I must say I am impressed Lemon, you became a model for many young women, I'm really proud of you." She turned to him, frowning. "Thanks?" She laughed. They arrived in front of her building. "Well…" She took a deep breath. "Good night, Mr. Donaghy. It was a pleasure." She smiled. He decided to talk, it was now or never. "I really missed you Lemon." She looked him straight in his eyes. Her smile was gone. Her breathing was slightly accelerated. "I would…" But before he had the time to end his sentence, she kissed him. He slid his hands into her hair, and she pressed a little more against him. When she moved away, she whispered: "Good night Jack," and she rushed into the front door of her building.
"Good night, Elizabeth."