Hey again! Sorry for the long wait, life has been crazy these past weeks, and the complete lack of Nick and Jess on the show has made it hard for me to write about them. This is the longest chapter yet, and it is kind of OCC- so I'm excited and nervous at the same time. But I hope you enjoy it anyways. Let me know what you think and what would you like to read next!

What If... Jess and Nick's first kiss had taken place at the end of A Father's Love, as originally planned?

"Jess, people don't change. If someone's broken, they just stay broken."

"You're not broken", Jess said, hopping off the stool and approaching him.

"I'm a little broken", he joked weakly, his eyes glued to hers as she came to stand in front of him.

Shaking her head, she cut him off. "No, you are not, Nick", she argued. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. "You are not", she repeated, and he shrugged his shoulders at her words.

"You gotta admit, Jess, that I'm not exactly what you would call a healthy person", he stated as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't think I've ever been", he added, pressing his lips together and studying her face.

"Nick...", Jess started. Taking another step forward, she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed lightly, her eyes firmly fixed on his. He swallowed, unable to look away, and felt her hand coming to rest on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your dad", she whispered, and he winced lightly before he tried to shrug if off.

"It's fine, Jess, really. I don't expect any other than that from him", he snorted, taking a step back and away from her touch and approaching the counters. "It's no big deal", he added, turning his back to her and reaching for a bowl. Rolling her eyes at the back of his head, Jess waited for him to face her again.

"No, you're not fine", she argued, sighing as she rested her elbows on the aisle between them. "Nick, you have to..."

"Jess, please, stop it", he interrupted, placing the bowl down with a thunk and pretending not to notice her flinching. "I don't want to talk about my father, OK?", he added, turning his back to her once again as he rummaged through the fridge, willing for her to change subjects. But when he turned around, holding an almost empty carton of milk, he was unexpectedly met with her frowning face dangerously close to his, hands on her hips.

"God, Miller! Why do you always do that?", she said, shoving her finger in his chest and making him take a step back and away from her.

"What?" he snapped, realizing she had cornered him against the fridge. Tilting his head to the side, he tried to escape her closeness. But before he had a chance to sneak his body away from her, she took another step forward.

"Why do you always run away from your feelings?", she buffed at him. "It drives me insane!", she continued, throwing her hands up and raising her voice in frustration.

"Jess...", he started, not wanting to argue with her. His eyes flicked to the side as he tried to trace an escape route towards the safety of his room.

"No", she said, and pointed her finger at him. "Don't even try it", she growled, already lifting her hand to his chest again. Dropping the milk to the floor, he grabbed her wrist and reached for her other hand, snatching them away from his body. Keeping a tight grip on her, he ignored her poor attempts at freeing herself from his grasp, as she wriggled her body away from his tight grip. He moved them away from the mess on the floor, but didn't release her hands. "Why do you care so much?", he asked, starting to lose his temper. "What's the matter with you?", he barked, when she finally managed to push him away.

"Me?", she let out a humorless laugh.

"Yeah, you!", he said, feeling the anger boiling inside him at her sudden outburst. "One minute you're all nice and calm and the next you're going all mad on me!" he stated, exasperated by the soft snort that escaped her throat. "Why are you trying to pick up a fight?"

"Forget it, Nick", she replied, shaking her head. "You just don't get it", she finished, just as her body began to turn away from him.

"Oh, no you don't!", he said, grabbing her hand and yanking her back next to him. Her eyes fixed on him as she let out a little gasp of surprise at his action. "You wanted to talk, let's talk", he retorted, releasing her and planting his hands on his hips.

"Fine!", she yelled, not caring if their roommates were sleeping. "Then talk!"

Her hands on her hips, she eyed him angrily and watched him struggle with himself. No words coming out of his mouth, she gave a sarcastic snort. "God, you're just unbelievable, Nick! Why are you always so scared of everything?", she cried out. Ignoring the way his eyes had blackened as he looked at her, she kept talking. "What is wrong with you? Just do something for once in your life!", she shouted, feeling her face hot with frustration.

To hell with it.

Her words still resonating in his ears, he yanked her to him and crashed his lips against hers, his hands finding their way to her hips as he pressed her to him. Swallowing her gasp of surprise, his tongue forced her lips open and dipped into her mouth, one of his hands sliding up her back to tangle in her hair. Tilting her head to the side, she snapped out of her initial shock and threw her arms around his neck, allowing her body to mold into his. Relief washed through him at her acceptance, and he groaned as their mouths moved against each other. His hands never leaving her body, he pushed her back until her hips hit the counter behind her, their lips still fused together. When he finally tore his lips away from hers, his eyes focused on her still closed lids and he took in her flushed cheeks and labored breathing. Jess met his gaze and felt him lean forward again as he captured her lips in a tender caress before he rested their foreheads together.

Dropping his hands from her body, he took a small step back and watched her struggling to catch her breath, his heart beating fast and blood pounding in his ears. Unable to stop himself, Nick raised his hand to her face and traced her flushed cheek as she leaned into his touch, her lips parting and gently grazing his knuckles. Placing a strand of hair behind her ear, his finger trailed down her face and he pushed her chin up and stared into her eyes, trying to decipher her expression.

"Jess...", he started. But before he had a chance to finish his sentence, her hands grabbed his shirt and she yanked him towards her, her mouth slamming down on his as her arms swung around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened their kiss, silencing her soft moan with a groan of his own. "Jess...", he muttered, unwillingly releasing her lips from his. Her arms still keeping him close, she brought her eyes up to meet his and felt an unexpected smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She chuckled lightly and he laughed with her, shaking his head as his hands refused to leave her hips.

"So that was unexpected!", she said in between laughs. The lack of awkwardness emboldened him, and he couldn't resist teasing her.

"Had to shut you up, you were driving me insane", he shrugged, the playful glint in his eyes telling her he was joking. Slapping his arm in mock offense, she rolled her eyes at him and tried to wriggle out of his embrace, but he tightened his grip on her.

"Listen, Jess,...", he started. "I...don't really know what to say here. No, wait, let me finish", he continued, when he saw her opening her mouth to interrupt him. "I don't like to express my feelings. You know that", he said, his eyes never leaving hers. "I know you just want to help me deal with this, and it... You... You know how much it means to me that you're always there for me, Jess", he paused. "But this whole thing with my dad...is just not worth us fighting over it."

"Nick, I..."

"Let me finish", he smiled, and she scrunched her nose in a laugh. "He was never there for us", he stated, his expression becoming serious. "I grew up without a father. And I will never forgive him for that. But he's still...", he sighed, and she rubbed his shoulder in understanding.

"He's still your father", Jess added softly. "And it's OK for you to be upset, Nick. You should be upset. And angry", she said, her hand leaving his arm and reaching for his chin, keeping his gaze fixed on hers. "I'm not asking you to speak up about how you feel about everything... But I want you to know you're not alone, Nick. You have me, and you have the guys. We're here for you", she finished, and he felt his heart swelling in his chest.

Nodding slowly, he held her close to him, no further words needed between them. Until...

"Sooo...", she started, pulling back from his arms and smiling brightly at him. "About the other thing...", she sang, a grin plastered to her face. "Where did that come from, Miller?", she teased, but he could hear the insecurity in her voice. His hands searched hers and he intertwined their fingers, knowing that she was watching his movements closely.

"I, uh,... I have a confession to make, Jess". It is now or never, he thought. Her eyes shining in expectation, she bit back her smile and willed for him to continue. He's going to...

The sound of a door opening signaled they were no longer alone, as their roommate walked into the kitchen rubbing the sleep off his eyes. They jumped in surprise, taking a step back from each other as they stared at him. Busted.

Schmidt's eyes widened as he eyed them and took in his surroundings, and he gave a loud gasp.

"Nicholas Miller! How many times do I have to tell you to keep your paws off my six-dollar buttermilk, you philistine?"

Gotta love Schmidt!