As they drove the last stretch, off the main highway and towards the Atlantic, Annie could hardly wait to arrive. Just a few more minutes and she could see the study group again. They had only been apart for a summer, but the knowledge that everyone was so far away had made it feel like a longer separation than any school vacation in their time at Greendale. And, of course, for the last few summers she had been sharing an apartment with Abed. During those months in Washington, though all of the Greendale Seven were much in her thoughts, it was Abed's absence she had felt the most: the lack of anyone to watch a movie with when she came home, or to distract her when mundane anxieties about work consumed her thoughts. She reminded herself not to get too pushy in her need to spend time with him again. Abed would surely be distracted by Troy's return, she had to respect his space as he dealt with all the emotions of seeing his best friend again after so long.

When they finally turned into the parking lot of Shirley's building, Annie glanced around in case the others were waiting for them. To her delight, Abed was standing under a palm tree a few yards away. She sprang out of the car the moment Shirley parked and ran out to meet him. Nearly colliding in their haste, they instead stopped short an arm's length apart and perfectly executed their elaborate private handshake. Then Annie stepped forward to embrace Abed. Knowing he didn't usually know how to respond to hugs, she backed away quickly, but to her surprise Abed awkwardly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer for another moment. Then Shirley was there and Annie stepped back to let her greet Abed. Annie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced away, unexpectedly flustered. She told herself the subtropical heat was just making her feel dizzy.

When they had said their hellos, Shirley headed for the front door of the building. Annie started to follow, but Abed pulled her aside. A bit confused, she let him lead her to the nearest patch of shade on the edge of the parking lot.

"Annie, I need to tell you something before you see the others. There's a situation developing with the study group that might be upsetting, and I want to make sure you're prepared for it," he said with a serious expression.

"What is it, Abed? You're making me nervous." The last she had heard, everyone was fine. Jeff and Britta had been excited for the group's reunion, and Troy was out at sea and likely couldn't have contacted any of them. What could be so alarming?

Abed sighed and continued, "From my observations in the last few hours, it appears that Jeff and Britta may have resumed their long-dormant friends-with-benefits relationship."

Annie nodded and waited for the punchline. Considering the possibilities, she gasped.

"Is she pregnant?" she asked with trepidation. "Did they really go through with getting married this time? Did Britta convince Jeff to quit his job and join an anarchist collective?"

Abed tilted his head to the side. His expression was subtle, but Annie had spent enough time with him to recognize the look of confusion.

"You knew about it?" he asked.

"Britta told me a few weeks ago, I'm surprised neither of them talked to you." Now it was Annie's turn to be confused. "Was that all this was about?"

Abed studied her carefully. "Jeff was your love interest for years. You kissed him before you left Greendale. I assumed you'd be upset to finally see him again and find out he's sleeping with another woman."

Annie laughed. "Why do I bother trying to hide anything from you?"

"I could tell there was something odd going on with Jeff before we left. He told me when I asked what was on his mind."

Now that the subject had come up, Annie wondered why she hadn't just told Abed about the kiss. Why wouldn't she share that information with her closest friend? She recalled her own discomfort when Abed had been dating Rachel last year, a feeling she had worked hard to suppress when Abed asked for relationship advice, and her relief when they eventually broke up.

Not now, Annie! She tried to put such thoughts out of her mind. Abed had enough to deal with as it was, and the last thing either of them needed was more melodrama surrounding the study group. Still, though she was touched by Abed's concern for her feelings, he had also seemed distressed by the mention of her kissing Jeff…Stop it! Abed's worried that romantic entanglements will endanger the fabric of the group, you know that. She reached for the words to explain what had happened.

"Abed, I didn't kiss him to…it was a goodbye. I'm over it, I have been for a while, I thought you knew that. I guess I was just trying to have some kind of—of—closure or something, for whatever it was we had. More for him than for me. I talked to him about it later, he understands—at least I hope he does. I want him to be happy. You remember what I told you in the dreamatorium?" Abed nodded, seeming to relax a little. "For me it was…more about the idea than the reality," Annie continued. "Maybe it helped to have that moment to wrap things up, but I knew that wasn't the direction I was going anymore, if it ever had been."

Abed nodded slowly. "Sorry I made you think Jeff and Britta would be raising an anarchist baby. I should have seen more of that. The kiss and the surprise twist when you were about to reunite looked like a setup for a lot of relationship drama. I underestimated your ability to transcend plot conventions."

Annie grinned widely and hugged Abed again, recognizing that as one of the highest compliments she could receive from him. Taking his hand, she led him towards the building.

"C'mon, let's help Shirley unpack."

"I almost forgot," Abed added. "Jeff and Britta should be here to see us in a few minutes, but they texted me about going to a bar in town later. I thought I should plan on staying here to give you an excuse to avoid unnecessary exposure to their flirtation disguised as arguments, but if you're OK with the two of them…"

"That's sweet, Abed." She thought about it for a minute. "I don't really need to listen to them bickering all evening."

Abed smiled slightly. "It's better this way. We can walk around, see the ocean. It'll set the scene for Troy's triumphant return." Hands clasped together, they headed up the stairs to meet Shirley.