Disclaimer: I don't own Community, or the song Somewhere Only We Know by Keane.

Chapter summary: Jeff and Annie take a walk down memory lane. Response to busycybering's Ficcy Friday request on Milady/Milord: Jeff/Annie established relationship, Greendale.

Moment 4: Somewhere Only We Know

Chapter Rating: PG

May 10, 2016

Annie looked again at the crumpled up note in her hand that held a set of directions. It reminded her of a similar piece of paper she'd held on this day three years earlier as she stood on this very campus.

The hallways were only dimly lit—most of the staff and students were long gone as summer break was now in full swing and only a skeleton crew of keeners remained. It was late, though. Too late for classes—only the janitor seemed to be present.

Earlier that day, Annie had come home from work to find a note on the counter with her name on it. She'd opened it and found just an address and room number written down—granted, it was an address she was familiar with, and a room she was even more familiar with, but she was still puzzled by the cryptic set of directions she'd been left with.

Annie was curious about whatever Jeff had planned—obviously asking her to come here on this day, it had to be something special.

She found the door to the specified room mostly closed, but not latched. She listened for a moment, but there didn't appear to be any sound coming from inside. She reached her hand out and pushed the door ajar, peering into the dimly lit room.

Jeff turned when he heard the squeak of the door. Annie couldn't help the déjà vu that the action prompted, as she had been greeted by almost the exact same sight three years earlier. She smiled at the recollection—he was even wearing the same suit.

"Milady," he greeted with a smile, making his way over to where she stood. He pulled her further into the room and let the door close again, creating a small haven away from the rest of the world.

"Milord." She smiled and reached up on her tippy toes to greet him with a kiss. "What's this all about?" He moved out of the way and gestured for her to sit on one of the crates that had been flipped and turned into make-shift chairs. He followed along, taking a seat next to her.

"Do you remember the last time we were in this room?"

"How could I forget?"

May 10, 2013

"Are you in here?" Annie asked as she pushed open the door to the storage closet that had become the group's secret meeting place for the past four years. The study room was good for general meetings, but more private parlances had always been held here, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears of certain small Asian and/or bald men. Jeff turned toward her, still dressed in his suit, looking completely out of place amongst the floating dust and broken furniture.

"You came," he said, sounding almost surprised.

"You asked me to." She held up the piece of paper that had become crumpled in her hand.

"If you have a minute why don't we go talk about it somewhere only we know," she read aloud. "The Keane lyrics were a good touch."

"I still wasn't sure you'd come." He looked nervous, which was uncharacteristic of the usually cocky former lawyer.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know." He chuckled a little dryly. "I thought maybe you were happy to finally be free from it all—Greendale, crazy Dean's, group drama... me." Annie's brow furrowed.

"I think you're confusing me with you." She gave him a pointed look. "Besides, I thought you had a date with yourself a Morrie's Steak House. Aren't you going to be late?" He shoved his hands in his pocket, continuing to maintain a distance between them.

"That's actually why I asked you to meet me."

"Okay..."

"It occurs to me that this might be my last chance to say this to you, before we leave Greendale and go back to the real world."

"You know I have a phone, right?" He chuckled—he seemed to remember saying something similar to Britta years earlier.

"Yea, but that's different. Greendale is different; it lets you do things you wouldn't normally do, like shoot up the campus with paint, build blanket forts that take over the entire building, major in theoretical phys ed and... meet people like you." Annie was taken aback by his sudden openness.

"What brought this on, Jeff?" she couldn't help but ask. He let out a long breath and sat down on an overturned crate. Annie followed suit, sitting next to him in spite of her dress that would probably be ruined by years of dust build-up.

"I was sitting there watching as you walked across the stage, and it occurred to me that this is it for us, you know? And unless we do something about it, this could be the end of everything."

"Jeff, we aren't going to lose touch just because we graduated."

"You don't know that," he said quickly. "But that's not even really the point—the point is, for the first time I realized that I care about what happens after this. Not just to me, or to the group, but to us." He watched her closely for a moment as she considered his words before continuing. When he did speak again, his words came slowly, as if they were—possibly for the first time in his life—carefully chosen.

"I don't want to waste the opportunity that Greendale gave me. I am not the Jeff Winger who walked in here four years ago, and I don't doubt for a second that you are the primary reason for that." She frowned.

"That's not true."

"It's not?"

"No," she said firmly. "You have changed, Jeff, but not because of me, or Britta, or Abed or anyone else. You changed because of you." He chuckled.

"Yea, don't give me too much credit. If I hadn't met you guys, I'd probably be the same jerk I was on my first day." Annie wasn't convinced, but let it drop opting to focus on the other part of his speech.

"So what now?" Jeff chewed on his lip a moment, as if considering how to continue. She had no doubt that he'd planned this conversation out, but he seemed at the moment to be flying by the seat of his pants. Eventually, he did his best to make eye contact.

"I don't deserve you." She tried to protest, but he continued to speak. "I don't. And you should say no to this after four years of me being a jerk and treating you like a child and telling you that what's between us is all in your head."

Annie couldn't help but agree with that. She should say no. Not that he'd ask yet.

"But I'm telling you now that all of that was bullshit. It was never in your head, Annie. I was just too much of a coward to do anything about it." He steeled himself. "But I'm done with that now. I want you. And I can't promise that I'll never be a jerk, and that I'll always know what you're feeling and why, and that I'll always say and do the right thing—because I won't. I know that already, and so do you.

"But I'm hoping that you'll be able to forgive me for all of my crap, and be with me now." Her breath caught in her throat. She knew it was coming, but hearing the words come out of his mouth still stunned her. "I care about you Annie. I don't know, I might even love you, but I understand if you say no. You have your life and your plans, and I would really like to be a part of them if there's room for me. It's up to you."

May 10, 2016

"I really should have said no," Annie joked, grabbing hold of his hand. Jeff smirked.

"The ladies can't resist Jeff Winger—you know that." She smacked his chest lightly.

"All of the ways you claim I've changed you, you're still just as pompous as ever."

"A zebra can't change his stripes, Milady." She laughed.

"Okay, okay... enough of memory lane. Why did you ask me to meet you here?" Jeff smiled softly and shifted himself off of the crate and onto one knee on the floor. Annie's gasped, her hand flying to her heart. "Jeff..."

"Annie," he took her left hand in both of his and did what he could to make eye contact. "Three years ago you made a terrible decision." She laughed lightly, alleviating the tension she felt in her chest slightly. "And I don't think I made any false promises then—I am still a jerk sometimes, and I don't always know what you need, or how to give it to you. But I love you, and you love me, and when I was thinking about what to get you for our third anniversary, the only thing that seemed appropriate was this." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small black box, flicking it open to reveal the most perfect diamond ring Annie had ever seen.

"I'm asking you to make one more terrible decision for me, Annie. One that will allow me the honour of spending the rest of my life driving you absolutely nuts." She couldn't stop the tears if she tried, but she laughed as well. Jeff was still Jeff, even in the middle of the most romantic moment of both of their lives.

"Will you marry me?"

May 10, 2013

"Yes," she said softly. Jeff raised his eyes to her, looking mildly surprised. "You're right, I should say no... and we will have a lot of struggles in our relationship. But I love you, and you love me, and when I was thinking about what I wanted for graduation, this was the only thing that I could think of. So yes."

May 10, 2016

Jeff pulled a tearful Annie into his arms after slipping the diamond onto her finger, holding her tightly to him, unwilling to ever let go.

Years earlier she'd made a terrible decision—but she wouldn't take it back for anything.


Filling a ficcy Friday request by the lovely busycybering. Hoped you liked it! And a reminder that these moments jump around a lot, so while they're engaged now, it's not necessarily going to be a primary plot point in upcoming moments.

This one was inspired by the Keane song Somewhere Only We Know, which is referenced throughout.