The sky was beginning to darken, yet the streets were still brightly illuminated in the City that never slept. Jack and Liz had just left Plunder, and were now wandering the streets of the Upper East Side. It wasn't long before the night air blew cold. Liz shivered as a chill passed through her.

"Are you cold?" Jack asked as he felt her hand twitch. She answered with a small nod as he brought her closer to him. "Come on!" he pulled her along. "We're almost to my building."

Liz laughed as Jack pulled her through the crowds of people and into the lobby of his building. Her heels clicked against the marble floor. She could hardly believe the man coaxing her toward the elevator was the same man that claimed capitalism as a legitimate religion; the same man that nearly cancelled her show.

The elevator dinged and the two stepped into his penthouse. "Are you warm now?" he asked pulling her into his embrace.

Liz inhaled as she melted into him. "Mhmm." She mumbled against his chest. Her eyes stayed closed as she leaned heavily on him. There was something about a night at his apartment that immediately relaxed her. She was so tired, but it was their anniversary and she knew she had to stay awake.

"Liz…" Jack whispered.

"I'm not asleep." She insisted as she fought to keep her eyes open. They stood in the foyer, Liz, too exhausted to move and Jack, too comfortable to force a move. Swiftly Jack lifted Liz into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. "I promise I'm not asleep." Verbalized her thoughts again, knowing he surely had something special planned for the night.

"Don't worry about it, Lemon." He slipped her coat and shoes off, then followed suit before joining her under the covers. "I have no expectations for this evening." Liz smiled up at him. She wasn't sure whether to be offended or grateful. For the moment, she couldn't be happier. It seemed her wish to start a relationship twelve years in had been fulfilled in Jack.

Jack placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before turning the television on and turning the volume down. "I can't believe how much everything has changed." Liz rested her head on Jack's chest as she pondered the evolution of their relationship.

"It is wild how far we have come together."


Liz awoke several hours later to find the fading sun had long since set. The sky was now dark with the glow of the city in the distance. The television had been turned off and the single bedside lamp illuminated the bedroom. The sound of Jack's breathing accompanied by his beating heart was all that she heard.

She ran her hand across his firm chest as she inhaled and situated herself in his arms. She was surprised when she felt his arm move and stroke her hair gently. "Can't sleep?" he asked, his husky voice filling the air.

"I should be asking you the same question." She sat up, leaning into his warm embrace. "You look like you haven't slept at all."

He waved her off, assuring her there was nothing to be concerned about. "I just have something on my mind."

Liz contained a dramatic eye roll. "I know the state of the stock market is startling, but it is hardly something to be lose sleep over." Jack let a small smile pass his lips. Even when she was half asleep she still knew how to make him smile. "Now go to sleep." She gently commanded him as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. She laid her head back on the pillow with her back toward him. She finally let her eyes fall closed when the room went dark and she felt the warmth of his body cradle against her back.


"Alright dummies, listen up!" Liz waltzed into the writer's room to find her staff shooting paper into the wastebaskets and contemplating whether or not spit balls would be a good idea. "Do I need to take your straw privileges away?" They stopped their antics almost immediately. Sensing she finally had their attention, Liz spoke again. "We need to finish the script by the end of the day. Tomorrow we will go through the sketches."

"What's wrong with your face?" Frank was the first to speak up; the others followed suit.

"Yeah, it's all glowy, or something."

"You look, like, five years younger." Cerie chimed in as well.

"What are you talking about?" Liz frowned as she sat down at the head of the table.

"You got some action, didn't you, LL?" Tracy seemed to appear out of nowhere and sparked a lively conversation.

"Ooooh, Liz finally got laid!" Frank shouted with his pen in the air.

"How was it?" Pete whispered next to her face. "It has been so long since Paula and I have had sex." He gazed at the wall with a pained look on his face before retreating to his office.

"I did not get laid!" Liz shouted as the writers shot cat calls in her direction. "I'm just happy!" her confession eliciting a plethora of fake vomiting noises. She rolled her eyes as she took her laptop and took refuge in her office. "Those sketches better be done by the end of the day!" she yelled over the raucous before shutting the door.


"Hey Jonathon, is Jack in his office?" Jack's assistance glared at her before shuffling through papers. She was not sure why he was so hostile toward her, but she did know his hostility had increased tenfold when she had started dating Jack.

Whatever.

She shrugged it off as she waited for an answer. "What is your visit pertaining?"

Liz rolled her eyes as she stuffed her hands into her back pockets. "I just wanted to see if he was free for lunch."

"Mr. Donaghy gave me very strict orders to tell everyone that he would be out for lunch." Liz's face dropped. "He should be back around 1:30."

"Okay, well…" she glanced at the closed office door before directing her words back at Johnathon, "just let him know I came up." Liz made her way back to the elevator as she pondered the circumstances. She and Jack ate lunch together nearly every day, what would make today different? She shook it off hoping it was nothing.

A/N: I am so sorry for the gap between updates. I hope you all can forgive me! A large portion of this chapter was fluff, but the small details will begin to add up. (: As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!