Hi! :-) I have no idea why I'm venturing back into this venue, but here I am. grin I hope I've learned from the last story and won't make the same mistakes. The idea for this story just came to me. I'll see where it takes me. It's years later in "Three's Company" history when this story takes place. I don't know if that's good or bad. LOL! Anyway, here's the first chapter. I hope you'll enjoy.

Thanks for reading!!

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Fighting The Inevitable

Chapter 1

Exhausted, but satisfied with the day's accomplishments, Janet Wood-Matthews sat down at the kitchen table ready to enjoy her nightly cup of herbal tea. A smile graced her attractive face as she thought about her six-year-old daughter, Taylor Nicole Matthews. Before Janet had tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight, her precocious daughter had declared that her mommy was beautiful and that "Uncle" Nick loved her.

Janet, shaking her head and running her fingers through her short dark hair, took a sip of the refreshing brew while reflecting on her relationship with Nick Crowley. They had been seeing each other as friends, nothing more. Widowed for the past four years, Janet had just started thinking maybe she was ready to date again. With a thoughtful ear, Nick listened to her as she talked about her concerns and anxieties. Never married at age forty, Nick considered himself a confirmed bachelor. Janet knew that, but at the same time, she couldn't help but to be flattered when he'd told her on more than one occasion that not wanting to be married didn't mean he was foolish enough to give up the opportunity to spend quality time with the prettiest woman he knew.

Alone in her small but cozy kitchen, Janet blushed as she recalled the tone he'd used when he had whispered those words to her. Although not wanting a deeper relationship, she knew they were good for each other. They always had a great time when they were together.

No, Janet thought, as she rinsed her cup in the sink and placed it in the dishwater, being a widow with a child was not how she would have planned her life, and yet, she knew she was one of the fortunate ones.

Ready to turn off the lights and head for her bedroom, she started when the doorbell chimed. Glancing at the clock, she knew Nick wouldn't call on her this late. She peeked out the living room window and saw that her neighbor's porch light was on. She visibly relaxed. Melanie Jacobson worked late. It wasn't unusual for her to ask Janet if she could borrow some milk or juice so she wouldn't have to go to the store in the early morning. Janet lived in what she considered to be a safe neighborhood in Bellevue, Washington, but still, one could never be too safe.

Believing it was Melanie who had rung the bell, Janet unbolted the double lock and opened the door. The teasing she had been about to inflict on her neighbor about needing milk died on her lips when she saw who stood on her doorstep.

"Hello, Janet. I know it's been a long time, but I hope you're happy to see me."

With her eyes widened in shock and her mind reeling, Janet merely stared at the figure, which loomed before her. What could she say? What was he doing here? Why, after eight years and a parting of the ways that did not go well, would he show up, unannounced, on her front porch?

"Happy?" she finally said, relieved to hear her voice sounded strong. "I don't know that I would categorize what I'm feeling as happy. What are you doing here, Jack Tripper, and why did you have to choose this particular time to come back into my life?"