March 2013

One Sunday Jeff wakes to the smell of coffee and an empty bed he doesn't like.

As he wanders out to the living area rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning loudly, he hears the faint chords of music through his iPod speakers. Dressed in nothing but his dress-shirt, Annie stands barefoot at the kitchen sink, humming, mouthing silently to the words, head bopping and hips swaying to the beat.

For a moment Jeff is entranced by her - hair a little mussed, elbow deep in soap suds and completely lost in her own world. On the counter he notices the coffee press and two cups on a wooden tray he didn't know he had, and the domesticity behind it has the smile inching across his cheeks and his pulse fluttering madly.

Annie turns and smiles wide, blowing him a kiss full of soapy bubbles with a soft delighted giggle, and his stomach drops all the way to his feet as if he's on the peak of a rollercoaster about to plummet.

He loves her.

Wait.

What?

For Abed's birthday the group all pitch in to fund a couple of his favorite celebrity impersonators, and now Casa de Trobed is filled with 'celebrity' classmates to match the theme.

Jeff – as Mr Blonde from the movie Reservoir Dogs, thumbs-up approved by Abed – relaxes against the kitchen bar, picking at the label on his beer bottle as he surveys his dancing friends.

He's not really into dancing although he should probably work on that, especially since his girlfriend is currently looking super-hot dressed like Lara Croft and every delicious part of her is jiggling too close to Abed.

So much has happened since the last time he stood here, like this, watching the two of them dance like no one was watching. Realistically he knows he has no reason to feel jealous now because it's his bed Annie sleeps in, his hand she holds at the movies, his name on her lips when she comes. But he can't help the reflex tightening of his grip when Abed palms Annie's hip. And even though the connection was brief – fleeting even – Jeff kind of wants to punch Abed in the face, which wouldn't be right on his birthday and is probably illogical, if he thinks about it.

But the thing is...

He's in love with Annie Edison.

And for some ridiculous reason he now wants to brand his name on her ass and make sure everyone knows that she's his and no one else gets to touch her - difficult when no one even knows they're dating.

And yeah, okay, he's probably being irrational about this but he still hasn't told her how he feels and it's been a week. Seven whole days of this itchy new awareness has driven him to the brink of insanity and sometimes over the very edge of it, and everyone has noticed. Even Pierce wondered if they should hide all the fire axes on campus and he didn't even have his usual snarky reply because he had been wondering the same thing.

But it's just… now that the knowledge has escaped the deep recesses of his brain, Jeff can't think of anything else. He's consumed by it.

His mind is filled with unanswered questions like, how does he tell her? Should it involve flowers or a hallmark card? Annie likes both of those things. Should he just say it, quickly and to the point, like he does when he's ordering lunch? The fact that he has no idea is endlessly irritating because he's Jeff Winger. He knows everything. But right now he's nauseous and nervous and can't stop the incessant tremor of his leg and no Troy, this is not his idea of dancing.

Across the room, Annie spins and throws a cheeky wink his way and Jeff's heart nearly crashes through his ribcage and goddamn it, it's going to be a long night.

A few hours later, Jeff stretches out across Annie's bed.

Needing space to think, he snuck into her room when everyone was busy watching Garrett attempt the dance scene from Risky Business in just his shirt. The result wasn't pretty.

At that moment – as if she knows he's not done thinking and is standing out on a ledge wondering if he's ready to fall – Annie cautiously enters, locking the door behind her.

"The party was a success!" she says happily, followed by an excited little clap of her hands. "Troy took Britta home and Abed is in the Dreamatorium with the Molly Ringwald lookalike. I don't even want to know what they're doing in there."

Jeff chuckles, relaxing just a little, the way he always does when Annie's around. "I think it's pretty obvious."

Annie's nose wrinkles for barely a second while she thinks about it before she shrugs the thought away just as quickly, meeting his smile. "You look good laid out on my bed waiting for me. I like it."

"I look good anywhere." He watches her move to her dressing table, catching her gaze in the mirror as she starts to unravel the long braid of her hair. "Did anyone see me come in here?" he asks, even though he's sure they would have burst in if hey had.

"No, luckily everyone thought you left," Annie says as she spins to face him, pulling the small tank top over her head and folding it neatly over the back of her chair. "Why did you come in here? Oooh, oooh, were you playing up to your James Bond impression? Because you really took a risk coming in here, Jeff."

"Annie, I'm Mr Blonde not Mr Bond."

"What's the difference? They both wear suits."

"What's the… no, you know what? Irrelevant." He picks at the thread of a pink cushion. "I came in here because I needed space to think and, you know, I can't say I enjoyed seeing Abed's hands all over you."

Annie pauses in removing the holster from her thigh. "Jeff, we were dancing and he was in character -"

"Uh, I don't remember Neo dancing in The Matrix."

Her shorts pool at her feet. "Well, I don't know! It's Abed. It doesn't mean anything."

"But you're mine and only I get to touch you."

"Uh, possessive much?"

"Oh, you love it."

She gasps, indignantly at first, but then her lips twist in thought. "Okay, maybe a little. It is kind of sexy."

She giggles then, wandering towards him in her lingerie – a flimsy set in pink with silk purple bows at her hips that hold it all together, begging to be unravelled. She soon sits astride him, trailing little biting kisses down his neck as she tries to loosen his tie. She nuzzles the soft skin behind his ear, her tongue flicking wetly against his earlobe to tug it slightly and I love her I love her I love her -

"No, I can't do this," Jeff says hurriedly.

He lifts Annie off his lap and sets her on the other side of the bed before climbing to his feet and looking around frantically, not sure where to go or what to do, whether he wants to leave or stay.

"Why?" Annie asks, slightly confused by his behavior. "The guys aren't here. No one can hear us."

"No, it's not that. It's just…" He steals a glance at Annie, unknowingly curled up on the bed like some fifties pin-up, and he clenches his eyes closed. "I need to tell you something."

He needs to tell her before it eats him alive…

She swallows, her face tensing. "O-kay."

"You see, here's the thing." He starts to pace back and forth in the small distance between the door and her bed. "The thing is Annie…" He roughly palms the scruff of his jaw. "Do you have any scotch? No, of course you don't. What am I saying?"

"Jeff," she says slowly. "You're kind of freaking me out."

"Well, I'm freaking myself out, Annie." He fingers his shirt collar and tugs at his tie. "Is it hot in here?"

Annie wraps one hand around his forearm to settle his nervous fidgeting. "Jeff, just tell me what's wrong. Please. You've been weird all week and I don't…I'm worried."

Jeff pauses, hands landing on her hips as Annie kneels on the mattress and curls her fingers into his shoulders, kneading lightly. His eyes close involuntarily as he takes a deep breath, adrenaline racing, heart thundering in ears as he gives himself over to her hands for a moment. When his eyes finally open, Annie is staring at him, eyes full of concern.

"Do you remember when you had your accident?" he asks her.

She's thrown by the question. He can tell by the way she balks and blinks all rapidly. "Of course I remember."

"But do you remember what you said to me afterwards?" he persists. "You wanted someone who didn't care that you'd been to rehab or -"

"Don't remind me." She flushes, shaking her head lightly and pressing her face into the palm of her hand. "I'm so embarrassed."

"No, don't be embarrassed. I like that you told me that." He tugs her hand away from its covering and grips it, squeezing reassuringly. "You see, I thought… the thing is, Annie, well." His chest rises and falls. "I'm that… someone."

"What -"

"I love you," he says, and flinches, the words a tumbled rush of awkward in his mouth.

Annie freezes, eyes wide as she studies every line of his face before she looks away.

"Jeff, you don't have to tell me that just because you're jealous of Abed. We were just dancing."

She shifts to move away but Jeff snatches her face in both palms, the fierceness of the gesture startling her, and her mouth parts on a soft soundless gasp.

"No, that's not what I meant and you know it. You don't have to protect yourself from me anymore. I'm not going to take it back, I'm not going to say it was a mistake and I'm not going to forget. I'm in love with you, in case you hadn't noticed. Jesus."

He watches the arch of her neck as she swallows, and her voice is a shred above a whisper as she says, "I…No one's ever said that to me before."

"Well, I've never said that to anyone before so we're even."

He's thankful he's gripping her face because he's pretty sure his hands would be shaking right now.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I feel like a nervous teenager hiding in the body of a ridiculously handsome thirty-six year old."

"Well, you are ridiculous."

She giggles, and the elation she must feel in that moment has her leaping forward to claim his lips, kisses greedy and all consuming, clawing at his clothes with frantic fingers like she just can't get enough.

Jeff finally tugs on those purple bows and loses himself in her.

Much later, the apartment is quiet but Jeff lies awake staring at the ceiling, a sleepy and satisfied Annie nestled into his side.

Unable to sleep for the gnawing sensation in his gut, he fidgets for a long while, kicking the sheets, twisting and turning, punching the pillow with a heavy fist. When he finally settles, it's there, engulfed by the darkness and the hypnotic tick tock, that he realizes, that it hits him heavily and bursts forth.

Of all the scenarios he imagined, he never once thought she wouldn't say it back.

Jeff opens one eye cautiously as a soft yellow light spills through the slatted blinds he forgot to close.

His temple pulses to a loud persistent beat and he lifts his head cautiously from the pillow. The room spins on its axis and the walls close in and he's pretty sure they're not supposed to do that. His stomach rolls then but he burps a breath that stinks of alcohol, the scent practically seeping through his pores.

Oh yeah, that wailing is the sound of his brain cells dying, suffocating from alcoholic fumes.

He groans to his feet, stumbles and staggers a few times, every movement slow as he pulls his jeans from the chair. Somehow he makes it out to the living room and gets one foot in one leg before falling, skin slapping the floor with a heavy thwack. He cries out on instinct, though it didn't hurt as much as it should, and at this point he's semi-grateful for all the alcohol he's consumed because he'd probably be in agony right about now. He blinks blearily and decides to stay there, naked, face squished painfully and one foot in his jeans, at least until the room stops spinning and his head doesn't feel so stuffy.

When his landline rings loudly a moment later, the noise is like a thousand daggers in his skull, jabbing him over and over with every ring, and Jeff moans "Shut up, shut up, shut up" until it stops, clicks and the message plays.

"Jeff, it's me. It's pointless ignoring your cell when I know you have a landline. I'm coming over. We need to talk."

Fuck.

He manages to roll onto his back and pull on his jeans with a bit of wriggling and concerted effort. There's a determined knock on his door a few minutes later, reminding Jeff of how much alcohol affects your awareness of time, unless Annie drives really fast which doesn't ring true for Miss-Jeff-you-missed-a-stop-sign-Edison.

He crawls over to the door and finally gets to his feet to wrench it open. In the hallway, Annie's arms are folded sternly, and she wrinkles her nose as she eyes the length of him from top to toe.

"You've been drinking," she says, her pout more pronounced than usual.

"Well done. Case solved."

Annie marches into his kitchen, making little huffy noises when she notices the empty bottle of scotch. Jeff sits on one of the stools, his head gravitating to the kitchen bar while Annie moves back and forth between the sink and the refrigerator, although she doesn't speak.

Amid the perpetual head throbbing and the sound of the coffee machine percolating, Jeff wonders if he did anything stupid while he got drunk, anything that could make her this mad.

But then there's a break in the fog, just a sliver, and he remembers the night before, when he told her the one thing he's never really said to anyone, and he's mad at her, and holy crap thinking really hurts.

A few minutes later Annie places a steaming cup beside his nose. "Drink this. Now."

Jeff gingerly lifts his head. "You came to make me coffee? There are people who get paid to do that."

She huffs and folds her arms sharply. "I came to ask why the hell you left in the middle of the night because, oh, I don't know, when your boyfriend tells you that he loves you for the first time, you kind of expect him to still be there the next morning! I was worried. I thought something terrible had happened."

Jeff exhales heavily and takes comfort in the coffee's bitter warmth, though it's too strong for his usual tastes and he knows that Annie knows that. But he can't look at her right now. He let himself get entirely too deep into this without thinking she wouldn't do the same and now he looks like a fool. He's completely powerless and she's done this to him. He's let a woman do this to him.

His twenty-five year old self is probably having a real good laugh at him right now.

"Annie," he sighs. "I don't -"

"Want to talk about this? Change the record, Jeff." She shakes her head, studying his refusal to look at her and her voice is quiet when she asks, "Do you know how it felt to wake up and discover you had left?"

"I have some idea."

"Are you…" she starts and then seems to swallow her words back for a moment. "Do you regret telling me how you feel?"

"No!"

The answer surprises them both.

"Then... why?" She frowns into the distance. "I thought I did something wrong."

His jaw tightens bitterly. "You did."

"What?" she gasps and sort of shrinks in on herself. "Was it not good for you too? I thought -"

"Annie, this has nothing to do with sex," he grits out. "I said I loved you and you never said it back. Forgive me if I'm a little fucking upset about that."

Just dig yourself deeper, Jeff. Dig yourself deeper…

"I…I didn't?" Annie's mouth opens soundlessly and her face twists into a mixture of shock and confusion as she replays the last twelve hours in her head. "Jeff, I… That's why you left?" she asks, and she actually sounds a little mad.

He can't believe that she just doesn't get it. "You think I'm going to stick around like an idiot after I just put myself out there like that?"

Her expression softens as she studies his face, holding his gaze so intently he flinches and looks away, and it's only then that she huffs.

"Well, you must be an idiot if you don't know by now how much I love you. And if you'd stuck around, I would have told you as much this morning!"

The silence between them is sudden and sharp and Jeff exhales heavily, all the tension and breath leaving his body in a gush as Annie looks at him with eyes fiercely blue and determined.

"You're not just saying that?" he asks quietly, and he's never felt more vulnerable in his life.

"No, of course not!" Her shoulders slump as she moves towards him, probably relieved that they were finally getting somewhere. "I guess I was so happy that you said it, I got carried away by the moment with the kissing and the -"

"Sex?"

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, which was -"

"Amazing. Seriously, Annie, it's always -"

"I know!" She flushes red, eyes wide.

Jeff feels a little bubble of joy spring up in his chest that flows outwards because he sees it now, right there in her eyes, dusting every feature softly. She loves him. He – Jeff Winger – is loved. He swallows the lump in his throat because how is that even possible?

"Come here," Annie says, sliding her fingertips along the scruff of his jawline. "I'm about to get sentimental and stuff. Are you ready?"

He shrugs carelessly but can't hide the half-smile twitching his lips. "I guess…"

"Look at me." And he does. "I love you because you see me, you really see me. And I see you and I love everything I see, even those parts that aren't perfect because -"

"Annie, c'mon. I'm perfection in male form."

She ignores him, palming his head so tightly the smile slips from his face. "Because I'm not perfect either but you make me feel like I am. I love you so much."

Jeff's heart does something weird in his chest as they study each other in silence, their breaths uneven and heavy.

"And now we're even," Annie finishes.

She yanks him down to her mouth after that, kissing him hungrily, her tongue seeking, searching dancing with his own. He doesn't know how long they stay like that, all eager hands and searching mouths meeting with lazy kisses that have no purpose except the need to be close.

By the time they pull away a little breathless, Jeff wonders why he's never done this love stuff before because even with a hangover he feels amazing and has this impulsive need to flex his muscles and shout things from mountain tops.

He laughs out loud at that and Annie smiles curiously.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He brushes her cheek and ducks to kiss her there. "I'm sorry I left like I did. I just felt -"

"I know, it's okay. I'm sorry too. I'd just rather you told me these things and we could resolve it. I don't want you to run away anymore Jeff, because I can't keep chasing after you or waiting for you to come back. It…it hurts me."

His heart lurches at the thought of hurting her in any way, and he snatches her hand, kissing it once, twice. He hugs her tiny frame as close as possible to his own, his chin resting on top of her head, eyes closed, feeling all kinds of relief.

Annie presses closer, breath tickling his chest.

"Uh, Jeff? I hate to be the one to tell you this but…you stink."

He leans back, grinning. "Join me in the shower?"

"I'm not the one who smells."

"True, but I need someone to wash my back… and my front. I'm hungover. What if my delayed reactions cause me to slip and hit my head? It'd be your fault. Do you want that on your conscience, Annie? Do you?"

"Technically, it'd be your fault and that empty bottle of scotch on the counter but I suppose I could shower with you, if I must." Her fingers dance the line between his shoulder blades as he leads her to the bathroom. "Do you need me to undress you too?"

Jeff smirks as the bathroom light flickers noisily and showers them in florescent brightness.

"Yeah. I almost injured myself getting these jeans on, I can't bear to think what might happen to this body if I attempt to take them off."

She meets his playful smile and his stomach muscles contract as Annie draws her palms down his chest, tickling his lower abdomen, sliding a fingertip along the cut of his hip as she heads to his zipper.

"It is so tough being your girlfriend sometimes."

It's late one Friday and the group are assembled in the study room.

The table is scattered with textbooks and coffee cups and a near-empty basket of muffins that Shirley baked especially for sustenance as they try to finish their last joint assignment.

Jeff isn't much help, as usual, but this time he's too busy thinking of two days with Annie inside his apartment and all the naked things they could do. Every time he looks her way, she chews on her bottom lip in an effort to restrain her smile and Jeff knows their thoughts are perfectly in sync.

He also thinks about taking her out for a fancy dinner, somewhere they can get dressed up - they haven't really done that much since their first date - and then that leads on to wondering whether Annie will agree to fool around in the backseat of his car afterwards, and so really all thoughts just lead to Annie and nakedness.

It's the perfect combination.

"So…" Shirley chirps then, noticing a lull in their study and using it. "What's everyone doing this weekend?"

"I'm having a marathon screening session of Polish movies with Pavel," Abed says.

"Um…" Troy seems a little unsure about the question, and scratches behind his ear. "I got a thing."

"Yeah," Britta agrees, nodding rapidly. "Me too."

Shirley eyes the two of them strangely. "O-kay… What about you, Annie?"

"Oh." Annie toys with her pen, staring intently at her notebook. "No plans, just a quiet weekend on my own…alone…by myself."

Shirley claps happily. "That means you can babysit for me tomorrow!"

"No!" Jeff shouts and then immediately regrets it when six pairs of eyes fall on him at once, and he forces himself to relax in his seat, rolling his neck languidly to one side. "Annie is helping me this weekend, right?"

"Oh yeah, right, I completely forgot. Silly me!"

"What are you helping him with?"

Jeff can think of lots of things she's going to help him with but he doesn't think Shirley would approve of any of them.

"Um…"

"Britta and Troy are dating."

Shirley gasps. "What?"

Britta grips the table edge, unknowing where to look, while Troy sits up straight in his chair.

"Abed, dude!"

He shrugs.

Silence falls over the room and everyone seems to wait, anticipating who has the courage to break it.

Jeff steals a glance at Annie sitting there frozen, wide eyed and open mouthed, the pen gripped so tightly in her hands that he thinks the plastic might break eventually.

"Brit-ta, is this…" Shirley gestures with her hand, clearly struggling with words. "Are you and Troy dating?"

"Yeah, well…" She shifts uncomfortably and then seems to gather herself enough to point across the table, firm and accusing and kind of smug. "So are Jeff and Annie!"

"WHAT." Shirley slaps both hands against her cheeks and Jeff's heart jumps into his throat at the same time Annie goes completely rigid in her seat. "Oh, sweet baby Jesus!"

"Hey!" Jeff glares at Britta. "Wait, how did you know that?"

"Please," Britta scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Abed told me but just confirmed what I already knew. If you thought you were being discreet you're, well, wrong and all that stuff."

"Well, if you thought you were being discreet you're delusional! I saw you guys at the mall, not to mention that time you were sucking each other's faces off in the middle of the sidewalk."

"Yeah, well, I saw you -"

"GUYS! Put a sock in it! Now's not the time for your bickering." Annie throws her pointed glare across the table, and she's pretty controlled when she says, "Abed, is there something you maybe want to tell us?"

"Just that I can't believe people still question my knowledge after all these years." Abed shakes his head. "Aside from your increasing closeness, there was all the kissing on Valentine's Day, and there was too much tongue to be platonic. Then there's the fact that Annie sneaks out late at night and doesn't come back, oh and last month I walked past that Spanish tapas bar on Steele Street and you two were all over each other. It was very Rated R."

Annie flushes red and Jeff doesn't know where to look because right now Shirley is attempting murder with her eyes and he thinks it might be working.

"Is this news?" Pierce asks, and circles the table with a furrowed brow. "You mean I actually knew something before someone else?"

Shirley scowls. "How did you know about this Pierce?"

He gestures between Jeff and Annie. "They've been dating since last summer."

"What?!"

"No, we haven't," Jeff adds.

"Really? What was with all the touching and the dates and the holding hands?"

Jeff shakes his head wordlessly for a moment. "We never did any of that, Pierce."

"Now who's delusional?" Britta mumbles childishly.

"I saw you. I saw you last August, or was it July? It could have been September -"

"Oh, get on with it!"

"Britta, there's a cure for PMS. It's called a sex-change." Pierce rolls his eyes at her indignant gasp and sour pout. "One afternoon I was driving back from a night of pleasure with one of my lady friends." He ignores the group groan. "And I saw you two leaving the multiplex in town holding hands."

"Called it."

Jeff turns to Annie as she looks up from the table. She pulls a resigned sort of face and nods, shrugging her shoulders, and okay, maybe they had been dating a lot longer than he thought.

"When did this happen?"

"Shirley," Jeff starts.

"No, Jeffrey, we'll get round to you in a minute," Shirley glowers her promise and turns to face Britta. "I want to hear about you two." Her finger dashes between Britta and Troy accusingly.

"We've been hanging out for a while," Britta says, almost shyly, as she fingers the cuff of her leather jacket.

"Yeah," Troy nods. "You know, 'cause I'm a guy and I do guy stuff that guys do."

Annie giggles behind her palm, stopping abruptly under the ice of Shirley's glare.

"But what about you and Jeff?"

"What about us?" Britta frowns, looking confusedly at Jeff for a second. "We had our thing and that ended a long time ago, Shirley. You know that. Everyone knows that."

"But you two are perfect for each other! You're the parents of the group and you look alike with your pointy noses and you've already had pre-marital sex." Shirley fusses with her cardigan for a moment. "I always thought you'd find your way back to each other."

Troy makes a disgusted sort of noise and presses his forehead to the table and Jeff's whole body is tense and alert.

"I'm not listening to this!" Annie's chair hits the cupboard behind her as she stands, the noise loud and abrupt in the silence.

"Oh, Annie, I'm sorry sweetie, it's just-"

"Just what?" Annie demands, and pauses in packing her bag.

"Well, I just think Jeff and Britta are better suited. That's not even counting the fact that he's too old for you and you're, you know... Sometimes you're a little naive."

"Naive?!" Annie almost shrieks.

"Okay, hold up. First of all, look at this face." Jeff circles his face with both hands. "This is not the face of an old man. Secondly, Annie is twenty two now. You've got to stop labelling her as some naive kid. I did."

"Mmm-hmm. I bet you did."

Jeff sighs, feeling more and more tired of the conversation by the second. "More importantly Shirley, she's more mature than most of us here and stronger than anyone I've ever met. So just…stop. Don't talk about her like that."

Annie smiles softly, that perfect adoring smile that makes him feel all kinds of powerful, like he's just saved an old lady from a burning building or rescued a kitten from a tree and oh my god, he seriously needs to do something masculine before he loses the right to use his penis.

Shirley doesn't quite look at him. "That's all very nice Jeffrey but I don't think I can accept this."

And just like that, Annie looks like the old lady died and the kitten fell from the tree.

"Why?" Jeff gets to his feet, just so she's not standing alone. "Shirley, I'm not going to end up with Britta." He turns to his blonde friend looking up at him. "Right?"

"Right! We're friends. Good friends. Great friends." She shifts higher in her seat. "You know what? I'm actually proud at how far we've come. Bring it in for some fivesies!"

Jeff accepts her high-five with a hearty slap.

"See, it's that thing you two do just shows how in tune you are!"

"Shirley…" Britta starts. "Just because Jeff and I are…"

"Cynical." Abed says monotonously, as if counting off a list. "Jaded."

"Gay?" Pierce adds and Abed tilts his head, brow furrowed.

"Whatever Pierce!" Britta sighs. "Just because we share similarities doesn't mean we should be together. It doesn't work like that."

Troy finally stirs and lifts his head from the table. "You guys can see me right? I'm not invisible?"

"No. You could be a hologram though." Abed pokes him in his arm, hard. "This upsets me."

Shirley gathers her purse and holds it close to her chest. "Well, what about the negative effects on the group?"

Annie forcefully shoves her textbook into her backpack. "That's your argument? The group?"

"We have finals coming up. It's more important than ever that we stick together, remain focused. I don't see how that's going to happen with all these ungodly goings-on!"

"Jeff and I have been dating since January and you didn't notice. And Troy and Britta have been messing around since December, at least. Am I right?"

"How did you…?" Britta trails off in wonder.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is there have been no negative impacts on our group dynamic. We've all managed to be relatively adult about this and keep our personal lives separate."

"This is true. I'm surprised this hasn't blown up before now."

"Well, it wouldn't have if you'd kept your mouth shut, Abed!" Britta folds arms in a huff.

Jeff copies her gesture sharply. "Yeah! What happened to being the director and never injecting yourself into the scene?"

Abed shrugs. "I'm a computer and sometimes computers malfunction." He tilts his head momentarily. "Also, I was bored. We've had no group revelations for a while. We needed to mix things up. Annie struggling to think of a lie as to why she would be 'helping' you this weekend was the perfect FADE IN scene opener. I took my chance and ran with it. I regret nothing."

Annie, meanwhile, stares determinedly at Shirley but deflates when she refuses to look at her. "Shirley?"

"I'm sorry but this is a lot for me to take in at the moment."

Annie hooks her backpack on her shoulders and fingers the straps. "I don't really want to argue the case for our relationship. I thought it was obvious how much we care about one another and that should be enough. But you're my friend Shirley and I'd like your support on this."

Shirley doesn't say anything, just tightens her grip on her purse and stares at the table with a frown.

Jeff notes the thin press of Annie's lips as she leaves the study room and starts gathering his books.

"Annie's upset."

Jeff sighs heavily. "Abed, stating the obvious since 2009."

The next morning Jeff wakes to a beam of sunlight blinding and burning where he'd forgotten to close the blinds again. Annie faces away from him on the far side of the bed, the curve of her sheet-covered hip all too tempting, the bumps of her naked spine an invitation to his fingers. As he scoots closer, he notices her shoulders shuddering lightly and that's when he hears it.

Annie's tears are his kryptonite.

He's not sure how to handle this because this is real relationship territory now – comforting your girlfriend when she's upset – and his pulse kicks into a higher gear. He'd managed to avoid it so far, with Annie acting determinedly stoic all of last night and Jeff keeping her mouth otherwise occupied. But now he can't just get up and pretend he hasn't heard her, so he kisses her shoulder once, tugging and rolling her over to face him. There's some reluctance on her part but he's too strong and soon he's leaning on one elbow, looking down at her red rimmed eyes.

"Annie?"

She sniffles as he sweeps thumbs across her wet cheeks. "I was just thinking about everything Shirley said yesterday and I got upset. I'm being silly, ignore me."

"I can't ignore you because you're naked in my bed and on top of that I don't like to see you upset."

She smiles and places her palms flat against his jaw. "I'll be okay, it's just…"

"What?"

"I guess…" She starts playing with the slight tuffs of hair above his ear. "I guess I worry that there was some truth in what she said yesterday."

"You doubt my feelings for you?"

The hurt must be written all over his face because her expression softens regretfully. "No, of course not. Not anymore." She pauses, shaking her fists in a sudden gesture of frustration and growls through gritted teeth. "Why do I have to be so dependent on approval? I shouldn't need Shirley's support. She's not my mother! And I don't even know what having a mother's support feels like so the thought is illogical."

"Hey, look, it's okay," Jeff says, smoothing his hand down her arm. "She's your friend and you respect her opinion, that's all. Shirley will come around eventually. Just give her some time."

"We've already wasted so much time Jeff, being apart when we wanted to be together, and now it's like my worst nightmare because no one is seeing what I see."

"And what's that?"

Annie draws a fingertip across his lower lip. "How good we are together."

Jeff smiles widely. "Yeah?"

"Don't get all smug, you feel the same way."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yep, you can't fool me. I know all your moves."

He chuckles lightly and ducks to kiss the corner of her mouth. "You're right, but if Shirley can't see that then she's not the person I thought she was."

Annie's fingers scrape idly through his hair. "But what if her hatred of our relationship affects the group? We might have to break up."

"The group? I don't see that happening."

"No." She shoots her gaze to the ceiling. "Us."

"What? No, no that's just…no."

Annie giggles softly and pushes him back to his pillow but Jeff thrusts a palm between them as she attempts to snuggle closer.

"Wait. You would honestly break up because of Shirley?"

"No."

"Then why would you say that? Was that some kind of test?"

"I don't know." Her eyes dart everywhere as she scrunches her face. "Maybe?"

"Nice, Annie. Real nice."

He whips the sheet off his body before swinging off the bed but his feet have barely touched the floor when Annie's arms circle his torso, and he can feel every line and soft curve of her naked body pressed into his spine as she kneels behind him on the mattress.

"I'm so sorry, Jeff. I didn't mean to upset you." She scatters kisses all over his upper back, followed by soft caresses of her nose and cheek, lets him feel the brush of her breasts with every breath. Her hands clutch the hard planes of his abdomen as she tries to get him to turn around.

He wants to but his pride is putting up a damn good fight today.

Annie clutches tighter, kissing his shoulder blades before resting her cheek there for a few minutes of motionless silence, the air cooling around their naked bodies. When Jeff finally turns around Annie cradles his face, her fingers teasing hair not yet perfected with product. She looks at him with wide eyes, shiny and contrite, and Jeff has to tighten his resolve into solid fists by his sides.

"Do you forgive me?" she asks.

"That depends. What else do I have to do to prove that I'm in this?"

"Nothing, you have nothing to prove."

"Then why did -"

"I'm just scared, Jeff! Okay? Shirley assumes you and Britta will find your way back to each other and what if she's right? What if -"

"Annie." He cradles her shoulders gently, trying to restrain the impulse to shake some sense into her. "Britta is my friend and I care about her a lot. But I'm in love with you. I kind of thought we'd covered this."

"You think I'm ridiculous, don't you?" she asks, dropping her head a little.

"I don't know what else I can do. I wore a naval costume for you, Annie. Me. In a costume. In front of other human beings. I let you use my $100 face cream."

"Well, love is sharing beauty products with your girlfriend."

"Uh, exactly."

Annie eases herself down onto the mattress and pats the space beside her. She's all too alluring, naked on his sheets, and the instant she extends her leg to graze the muscle of his upper thigh with pink polished toes, his body falls into bed before his brain can stop him. He's tempted to draw this out, torment her just a little, but then the day would be ruined and he had too many plans for that.

So when Annie rolls onto her side and snuggles closer, Jeff doesn't fight it. She hooks her thigh over his, kissing him passionately, trailing one hand low across his stomach to hold him close. He wonders if he should be angry that she's using her feminine wiles but then he moans into her mouth and seriously, who the hell cares?

When they pull away for air a few minutes later, Annie brushes her nose against his, kissing the tip tenderly. "I love you."

"I know."

"And I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."

"I know that too." Jeff pulls her head against his chest, palming her hair, silky soft beneath his hand. "But don't you think we've been through enough to let Shirley interfere with us?"

She draws lazy circles on his pecs. "Yes."

"Okay, so let's stop caring what Shirley and everyone else thinks and we'll, I don't know, kick their butts with our awesomeness because, let's face it Annie, being with me automatically makes us awesome."

Annie chuckles and nuzzles closer. "Well, that's true."

"And if all else fails, I'll take her to lunch, show her a good time and give her a big speech about how much I love you."

"Careful Jeff. Your feelings are showing."

"Shush. Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold."

She reaches out to smack his chest but he catches her hand and their fingers intertwine, instinctively, like they always do.

They lay there for a while, sun dusting their bodies through the open blinds. Palm against palm, Annie measures the size of her hand against his; engulfed by the comfortable silence Jeff's never shared with anyone else.

"See? I told you. Giant man hands."

"I thought we'd already established how much you love my giant man hands." Jeff slips his hand beneath the sheet, lightly trailing the length of Annie's abdomen.

"I do, I really do." She gasps, spine arching slightly. "Just like we've discovered how talented my tiny female hands are."

"Yes, but you also learned they weren't needed to make things look bigger, were they?" he asks with a grin.

"Mmm-hmm. I do love to learn." She smiles and draws him in for another kiss, their lips moving languidly, learning and re-learning the same delicious pattern.

Jeff rolls over, covering her body with his own, but then Annie's stomach rumbles loudly, breaking the silent spell, and they both laugh.

"You see, this is what happens when you jump me as soon as I come in the door. We don't get to eat dinner and now I'm starving. I demand you take me to Denny's."

Jeff rolls back onto his side and palms her stomach softly. "I don't know. Going to Denny's kind of interferes with my whole 'spend two days naked' plan."

Annie sits up in bed, clutching the sheet to her chest. "Okay, compromise. Take me to Denny's for breakfast and I won't wear a single item of clothing for the rest of the day in this apartment. Deal?"

Jeff smiles wickedly and tugs the sheet away, watching the slow reveal of pale flesh and the hungry look in Annie's eye that has nothing to do with food.

"Deal."