DISCLAIMER: I do not own Three's Company or any of the characters involved in this story
Terri has made her way upstairs to Larry's apartment. She's happy to see that Janet has finally set her stubborn pride aside and has decided to try to help Jack and Chrissy get back together. She just wonders if Janet is too little too late in her efforts.
Terri gets to Larry's apartment door just as Larry is walking out on his way to his job at the car lot. He is wearing a casual business suit.
"Hi Larry." Terri greets, startling Larry for a moment.
"Oh, Terri. Good Morning." Larry replies. Terri notices right away that Larry isn't his usual cocky relaxed self, but rather that he's jumpy.
"Are you okay? You seem kind of jumpy this morning?" asks Terri.
"Oh, I'm just peachy, Terri." Larry replies in a sarcastic tone.
"So, everything going okay with Jack staying here?" Terri inquires.
"Uhm, define okay." Larry replies jokingly. Terri can tell immediately by Larry's facial expression that things aren't going well.
"Things are getting kind of cramped in there, huh?" Terri says.
"Well let's see. He cooks me three meals a day, most of which I don't want, all because he says it's the only thing that he can do to keep from being depressed He won't shut up about Chrissy. He also never leaves the apartment except to go to work, which by the way, last night I had a date with a gorgeous sex therapist down at the Reagle Beagle and things couldn't have been going any better. That is, until she wanted to come back to my place. And I had to tell her we couldn't because we wouldn't be alone because my best friend was staying with me." Larry explains.
"So?" Terri asks, wanting Larry to get to the point.
"So, now she thinks that I was lying about my best friend being over because I well…can't perform in the bedroom." Larry says embarrassingly.
"What?" Terri screams as she starts to laugh out loud.
"Yeah, and then she recommended that I start going to see one of her colleagues, Doctor Garte, a psychologist. But that's not the worst of it. Kelly, the waitress down at the Beagle overheard the whole conversation. And you know she can't keep her mouth shut about anything. So, before you know it, all the girls down there are going to get the wrong idea and I'll be ruined." Larry cries.
"Oh, calm down, Larry. I'm sure you're just over-reacting." Terri says as she tries to stop laughing.
"That's easy for you to say. I mean, how would you like it if people down at the hospital started saying things about you that weren't true?" Larry asks.
"They already do. Especially the young male patients who like to tell the doctors that I promised to personally give them a sponge bath." Terri replies. Larry chuckles for a moment before getting back to the point.
"Listen Terri, you got to help me. I'm begging you. I mean Jack's my best friend and all, but I got to get him out of here before he drives me crazy. Please!" Larry begs.
"Larry, just relax and go to work. Everything's under control." Terri says in a reassuring manner.
"You mean you'll have him out of here and back down at your place? When?" Larry asks.
"Well, if all goes well, he should be out of your hair by tonight." Terri says.
"Tonight? Tonight? Could we make it any sooner?" Larry jokes.
"Go to work, Larry." She says as she gives him a friendly pat on the shoulder. Larry walks off as Terri opens the front door and slowly walks into Larry's apartment looking for Jack.
"Jack?" Terri calls out as she peaks her head in the front door. She doesn't see Jack anywhere, so she opens up the door a little further and walks in. "Jack, are you home?" Terri calls out again. She doesn't get an answer and gets discouraged as she figures Jack must have left. Just as she turns around to leave though, she hears the bathroom door open and Jack emerges from there. He is now dressed for work.
"Terri." Jack says as he spots her in the living room.
"Oh, there you are." Terri says.
"Yeah, here I am. You just caught me; I was just about to head down to the bistro to meet a supplier." Jack says. "So, what's up?" he asks. At this point, Terri feels a little awkward as she's not quite sure how to start this conversation.
"Oh nothing. I just came up here to see how you're doing." Terri says.
"Oh? Well, that's nice. I guess I'm doing fine." Jack says. "How are you doing?"
"Well, I'm doing great. I got some big news." Terri says.
"Okay. But before you do, while I'm thinking about it." Jack says as he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out several $100 bills and hands them to Terri. "That should cover my share of the rent for the rest of this month. Of course, starting next month, you'll be on your own so you should start looking for new roommates as soon as possible. If you want to advertise, I'd be willing to put up a flyer at the front of my bistro. I just don't want to leave you high and dry." Jack explains to Terri.
"You mean you're not coming back?" Terri asks. Jack shakes his head.
"No." Jack answers. "Terri, I've had a great 8 years there, and a lot of good memories. But the time has just come for me to move on. Besides, with both Janet and me gone, you'll get to pick your own roommates to live there." Jack says.
"Uhm, actually, no I won't." Terri says.
"What?" asks a confused Jack.
"That's my big news. I just found out yesterday that the hospital has accepted my transfer. So I'm going to be moving to Hawaii in a few weeks." Terri says.
"Hawaii? Really, Terri. That's great. Well, Aloha to you." Jack says as he snickers.
"So, it looks like the apartment will be all yours, Jack. That is if you want it." Terri says. Jack sighs.
"I don't know, Terri. I don't really want to live there by myself, nor do I want to go through the trouble of trying to find new roommates. It just wouldn't feel right, you know?" Jack explains.
"I understand." replies an empathetic Terri. "Well, maybe if you ever got with Chrissy, she could move back in with you."
At that point, Jack grits his teeth and grimaces slightly upon hearing Chrissy's name. The whole subject is still painful for him to talk about. Terri can tell this instantly.
"Oops. Sorry. I didn't mean to bring her up. I guess that's still a touchy subject for you." Terri replies.
"It's okay. Besides, that would never work anyways. Chrissy already told me she couldn't live with me again unless we were married. And then I'd have to explain the whole thing to Furley that I've been lying to him all these years about being gay so that I could live there with you girls. It would just make things more complicated. So, no, I think I'm going to stay in that little apartment above the restaurant for a while until I figure some things out." Jack says.
"Oh, I see." Terri replies.
"You know something, Terri. I'm going to miss having you as a roommate." Jack says sincerely.
"Yeah, I know. I'm going to miss you too, Jack." Terri says. She looks at Jack with sincerity in her eyes. "Hey, it's been a fun three years for me. You, me, and Janet in that apartment." Terri says. Jack nods in agreement.
"So, uhm, how is Janet doing?" Jack asks. Terri knew the subject of Janet was going to come up sooner or later. However, she's not quite sure what Janet wants revealed and what she doesn't. So, she figures that it is best to speak as little about what she's been up to as possible to Jack.
"Oh, I've barely seen her the last few days. She's been here and there, trying to do a million things to get ready for her wedding. You know Janet." Terri says. Jack takes a deep breath.
"Yeah, I know Janet." Jack says slowly as Terri can tell that he's getting lost in thought about her. Knowing that this is a sensitive subject to him, she decides to redirect the conversation and do what she came up there to do in the first place.
"Hey Jack. I bet you could use a night away from Larry, huh?" asks a cheerful sounding Terri.
"Well, yeah. And I know he could use a night away from me. I mean Larry's my best friend and all, but I'm sort of sensing that I've worn out my welcome here." Jack explains with a shy chuckle.
"Yeah, I kind of sensed that too." Terri says.
"Really? What was your first clue?" Jack asks.
"When he told me just now when I passed him on the stairs." Terri says, sparking a laugh for Jack.
"Listen Jack, let me take you out to dinner tonight. Just us. Anywhere you want to go." Terri offers.
"Dinner? Tonight?" asks a confused Jack, as he immediately starts wondering if there's something more to this as it's not like Terri to just offer something like this out of the blue.
"Yeah. It'll do you good. It'll give you a chance to get out from under Larry's skin and it'll be something to do besides sit around and mope about Chrissy." Terri says in an encouraging way.
"Gee, Terri. That's awfully nice of you. But really you don't have to do….." Jack starts to say.
"Well, I'm doing it Jack so pick a place." Terri replies, getting more forceful in her tone.
"Well, I have been wanting to try that new Italian place down on Melrose, Mama Cucina." Jack says.
"Great! I'll pick you up at your restaurant after I get off of work. Six o'clock good for you?" Terri asks in a hurried tone.
"Yeah. But Terri…." Jack starts.
"Wonderful. I'll see you then." Terri interrupts as she darts out of Larry's apartment before Jack has a chance to reply. She wanted to make sure that she didn't give him the chance to have any second thoughts and say no as she knew she needed to come through for Janet on this one.
Jack is slightly suspicious in the way that Terri acted as well as how quickly she rushed out after setting up dinner for the night, but he's got too many other things on his mind to give it much more thought. So, he shrugs it off and continues to go about his day.
Back in Janet's apartment, she has picked up the phone and started to dial Chrissy's number several times, but each time she has either hung up before she dials the number or as soon as it started ringing on the other end.
She knows that time is growing shorter by the second for her to resolve the situation between Jack and Chrissy that she created. But the question remains will Chrissy even talk to her after what happened? Or will Jack for that matter?
Janet knows she must leave for work, but feels she needs to call Chrissy before she does. Just as she is about to pick up the phone, the front door opens up and Terri sticks her head in. She had just came down from seeing Jack upstairs at Larry's apartment.
"Hey Janet!" Terri calls out to her. Janet turns toward the front door.
"Yeah?" Janet answers when she sees Terri in the doorway.
"Six o'clock tonight at Mama Cucina on Melrose. Jack just agreed to go out to dinner with me there." Terri says.
"Okay. I know where it is." Janet replies. "Thanks Terri, I really owe you one here. I'm surprised Jack agreed though. I didn't think he would. I thought he'd still be too upset over Chrissy leaving to want to do anything."
"Well, I kind of didn't give him a chance to say no." Terri says with a giggle as Janet grins. "Oh speaking of Chrissy, any luck talking to her?" asks Terri.
"I'm just about to do that now." Janet says.
"Well, good luck. I'll see you tonight at 6 at Mama Cucina." Terri says as she darts out the door, closing it behind her.
Finally, it dawns on Janet that she must call Chrissy. The first step has been taken, and now she knows what she has to do.
Janet takes the piece of paper with Chrissy's phone number and uses it to begin to dial her number once again. She takes a deep breath before dialing the last number. As she can hear the phone ring on the other end, her heart begins to race faster and faster. Finally, she hears it pick up.
"Hello?" says a female voice on the other end. Janet recognizes immediately that it isn't Chrissy's voice, but that of a much older woman. Janet concludes that it's the wife of the minister that Chrissy has been staying with in San Francisco.
"Uhm, hi." replies a nervous Janet. "I'm trying to reach Chrissy Snow."
"Oh, just a moment, dear. Let me see if I can catch her before she leaves for work. Can I tell her who's calling?" the woman asks.
"Yeah. This is Janet Wood. I'm her former roommate in L.A." Janet replies.
"Oh Janet. Yes. Chrissy has told my husband and I so much about you." the woman says back.
"That's nice. Listen, just tell her this is really important, and I need to talk to her. Okay?" Janet says.
"Of course, dear. One moment." The woman says as she puts the phone down. Janet listens over the phone and can hear the woman's footsteps go throughout the house. She then hears her and Chrissy begin to speak in the background.
"Chrissy, dear, you have a phone call." the woman says.
"Mrs. Snyder, I'm late for work. And I got something very important happening there today." Chrissy says, as Janet listens in.
"Oh, you might want to take this. It's Janet Wood. She says she really needs to talk to you. She says it's important." The woman explains.
"Yeah, well so is my job and what I'm doing today." Chrissy says. "Look, I just can't talk to her right now."
"Well, what do you want me to tell her?" the woman asks.
"Just tell her I can't talk to her now." Janet hears Chrissy say as she hears a door close. At that point she hears Mrs. Snyder walk back to the phone and pick it up.
"I'm sorry, Janet. But Chrissy….." the woman starts to say.
"I heard." interrupts a dejected sounding Janet. "Thank you…..Have a nice day." Janet says back to her as she hangs up the phone.
Suddenly, a brief glimmer of hope appears to have vanished. Judging from Chrissy's tone and what she said, she doesn't have any desire to make up with her. It appears that Janet had really done it this time and ruined forever any opportunity that Jack and Chrissy may have had of being happy together.
As she sighs and leaves the apartment to be about her day, she can only hope that Jack will be a little more open to at least talking to her that night at dinner.
It's 5:55 p.m., and Janet has arrived early at the Italian Restaurant where Terri has agreed to bring Jack tonight in an attempt to make amends between Jack and Janet.
Janet has already gotten a booth and ordered a glass of wine. She has been drinking a lot of water as she is nervously waiting for Jack and Terri to arrive. She has drunk so much water that she has to use the restroom.
She decides to quickly go now before Jack and Terri arrive. But while she is in the restroom, Terri and Jack walk in through the front door.
"Ahhhh, here we are." Terri says to Jack with a smile.
"Yeah, not a bad place. I wonder if the fettuccini alfredo here is as good as everyone says it is." Jack jokes. "I guess there's only one way to find out."
As Jack is talking, Terri is glancing around the restaurant looking for Janet. When she doesn't see her, because Janet is in the restroom, Terri assumes that Janet hasn't gotten here yet.
"She isn't here yet." Terri whispers to herself, but unaware that Jack hears her.
"Who isn't here?" asks Jack. A startled Terri quickly tries to come up with the best answer she can think of.
"Uhh..uhhh..The hostess." Terri says. At that point, a female employee appears and walks over to Jack and Terri.
"Hi. How many for dinner?" the female asks.
"See, here she is, Terri. No need to get impatient." Jack says. Terri just chuckles. "Uh, that'll be two this evening." Jack says to the hostess. A nervous Terri, knowing that Janet will arrive is concerned about being sat at a small table and then notices a booth.
"Um, can we actually have that booth right there?" Terri asks.
"Sure." The hostess replies as she leads them to their seat. Unbeknownst to Terri, Janet is sitting at the booth right next to them. The hostess gives them two menus. "Your waiter will be right with you." she says.
As Jack starts to look at the menu, Terri is constantly looking over Jack's head at the entrance door to the restaurant as she anxiously awaits what she thinks is Janet's arrival.
"Well, what do you think Terri? I was going to go for the fettuccini alfredo but these steamed clams and pasta look delicious and….." Jack starts to say but stops when he notices that Terri isn't even looking at the menu or paying attention to anything he's saying but rather keeps looking at the entrance door. Jack's puzzled and then looks over his shoulder at the entrance and then back at Terri. "Uhm, Terri? Who are you looking for?"
"Huh? Oh, who me?" Terri asks with a chuckle. "I was just looking for….." Terri says as she pauses for a minute and tries to come up with another lie fast. She notices someone at another table wearing an A-team shirt and then says the first name that comes to her mind. "Mr. T"
A confused and perplexed Jack looks at Terri with a befuddled expression. "Mr. T? Why would you be looking for Mr. T?"
"Well, I heard he likes Italian food and likes to come here a lot." Terri says with an embarrassed look as she realizes how silly she's sounding.
"Yeah. Well, I wouldn't get your hopes up too much. I somehow doubt Mr. T is going to show up here tonight." Jack says to Terri with a smirk on his face.
"Nevertheless, I'm just going to keep an eye out for him." Terri replies.
"Oh that's great, Terri. I thought we came here to have a nice friendly dinner, not to be Mr. T groupies. How can I enjoy myself if you're going to spend the entire time looking for….." Jack says, but he cuts himself off as his eyes spot Janet coming back from the bathroom. Janet sees him as well as the two roommates of eight years lock eyes. "I don't believe this."
"All right Jack, calm down. I promise we'll have a good time tonight." Terri replies, still unaware to the fact that Janet is walking up behind her.
"You set this up, didn't you?" Jack asks Terri. At that point, Terri notices that Jack's attention has been diverted and she turns around to see what it is and sees that Janet is there.
"Oh, isn't this a surprise." Terri says, trying to put on an act.
"I don't believe this." Jack says as he shakes his head.
"Hello Jack." Janet says nervous. Jack says nothing back to her but just glares up at Janet. He's had two days in which he has spent a lot of time thinking about what he'd like to say to her, both good and bad. But now, seeing her face to face, he is just at a loss for words.
"Uhm listen, why don't I just let the two of you talk." Terri says as she starts to slide out of the booth to get up. Jack reaches across the table and grabs her wrist.
"No need, Terri. I don't have anything to say." Jack replies.
"Jack, please, hear me out." Janet cries.
"Janet if you're staying, then I'm leaving." Jack says as he starts to slide out of the booth. At that point, Janet reaches out and puts her hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Jack, look. You are mad at me, and you have every reason to be." Janet says.
"Good. I'm glad we agree." Jack interrupts as he tries to get up again, but Janet pushes on his shoulder to keep him down.
"But look. I came here to say something that you've rarely ever heard me say in all the time we've been living together." Janet says to him as she lowers her head for a moment as she tries to muster up the courage to say what she knows she has to.
"Which is?" asks an impatiently waiting Jack.
"I was wrong." Janet says.
"Excuse me?" asks a confused Jack.
"I was wrong, Jack. I was wrong about everything. I was wrong for blowing up at you. I was wrong for thinking you were going to take advantage of Chrissy. I was wrong for thinking the two of you had been running around behind my back. I was wrong for being jealous. And I was wrong for trying to stand in the way of you and Chrissy being happy together." Janet cries out. At this point, she is on the verge of tears.
"Uhm, listen. Maybe I should just find someplace to go while you two work this out." Terri suggests as she eases her way out of the booth.
"You can sit here, Terri. This was the booth I was at." Janet says pointing to the booth that was hers. Terri goes and sits down at Janet's booth while Janet sits across from Jack. This confuses the waiter as he walks out to take Jack and Terri's order, but can't understand why Terri is now at Janet's table and Janet is with Jack. But he takes the order anyways as everyone orders a glass of white wine. Terri sits alone in the booth and does her best not to eavesdrop on Jack and Janet's conversation.
"All right, Janet. I'm listening." Jack says firmly. Janet takes a deep breath and gathers herself before speaking.
"Jack, listen, we've lived together for eight years. I know you like back of my hand. And you know me like the back of yours. We know each other's strong points and our biggest weaknesses. And you know better than anybody that sometimes I can get a little too emotional and I overreact." Janet explains.
"Yes. Go on." Jack replies.
"When I saw you and Chrissy together, I got emotional. And I overreacted. I said a lot of things I didn't mean, all of which I wish I could take back. And what I said I was really hurtful, I know." Janet says, her face about to well up with tears. "Jack, I'm so sorry."
"But why, Janet? Why are you so against the idea of Chrissy and I being in love? Is it because your jealous?" Jack asks.
"No." Janet answers immediately, almost on impulse.
"Is it because you don't think I'm any good for her?" asks Jack.
"No. That's not it." Janet replies.
"And do you really think that Chrissy and I have been fooling around behind your back this whole time?" Jack asks.
"No Jack, of course not." Janet says.
"Then tell me, Janet. What is so bad about Chrissy and me?" Jack asks in a demanding tone.
"Nothing, Jack! Nothing is bad." Janet replies aggressively before taking a deep breath as she tries to explain things to Jack. "Jack, look, the truth is when you first moved into our apartment, I knew right away by the way Chrissy looked at you that she liked you. And I knew how vulnerable she is emotionally and how easily it was for her to fall for a guy. That's why I was insistent on the ground rule of no romancing a roommate. It's because, well, I didn't know what kind of guy you were. And I was kind of over-protective of Chrissy given her innocence and over-trusting nature, I knew there were so many men out there who would take advantage of her."
"Oh, come on, Janet. You weren't the only one who looked out for her. Do you remember who use to walk Chrissy to the bus stop every day? Not to mention the one time I almost went to jail because I punched out an undercover cop who thought Chrissy was a hooker." Jack says.
"Yes, Jack. I know." Janet replies. "There's something else. Deep down, I had a hard time accepting you and Chrissy as a couple because well, in my mind I made things personal with her and with you too. I guess I never wanted you guys getting together because in my mind that would have made me the third wheel in our living arrangement. But I realize now that was selfish on my part. Because I know in my heart that Chrissy would be good to you, and you'd be good to her. I know that because I've seen you both get taken advantage of time and time again. And that's not fair. You're both good people, and you both deserve somebody great in your lives. I know you'd be good for one another."
"Yeah, well now that's not going to happen, thanks to you." says a disgruntled Jack. At that point Janet can no longer fight back the tears and she begins to cry. As Jack sees the sorrow and guilt on her face, his anger towards Janet begins to subside.
"Jack, believe me when I tell you that I'm truly sorry for what I did. If I could do anything to make it better, I'd do it. But all I know is I'm getting married on Saturday and if things keep going the way they're going; I'm going to be the most miserable bride in the history of weddings." Janet says. Jack gulps hard as he knows Janet is sincere in what she's saying.
"Janet, come on. Don't cry." Jack says as he hands her a napkin on the table to wipe her tears away. "Look, it stinks for me now. But I'll be okay. I'll recover. So will Chrissy. Who knows? Maybe I'll meet someone better down the line. I can't imagine who would be better than Chrissy, but hey, maybe everything really does happen for a reason."
"Jack!" Janet cries. "You've been my best friend for the past eight years. I'm really sorry I messed things up with you and Chrissy. But I don't want to lose you as a friend now. Not after everything. That would break my heart." Janet cries, the tears still in her eyes and her voice crackling with emotion.
"Janet, Janet, Janet." Jack says in a soft and warm tone. "You've known me this long. After everything we've been through, do you honestly think I'd bail on our friendship now and miss seeing you walk down the aisle and get married this Saturday?" Jack says as he gives Janet a warm and comforting smile.
"Well, I would hope not." Janet says as she sniffles and works to regain her composure. "Ohhhh Jack." Janet weeps as she moves over to his side of the booth and hugs him. He hugs her back and the two of them share a long and warm embrace. Jack is barely able to fight the tears back himself. While still upset about the Chrissy incident, he doesn't want to lose Janet and he's relieved that she and him are still friends. Neither want to let go from the hug, but they finally do.
"Now, let's just forget about this whole Chrissy thing and concentrate on getting you married." Jack says as he uses his thumb to wipe away a tear from Janet's face.
"Okay." Janet says with a slight smile. "Though honestly, I'd rather focus on Chrissy. This wedding is turning out to be a nightmare."
"Why is that?" asks Jack.
"Well, Phillip didn't want a church wedding and I did. We had a huge fight about it, but we eventually agreed to have the wedding in the apartment. But we still need to find a minister, a caterer, and to top it off I just found out my parents won't be able to make it out, so I got nobody to….." Janet stops as she realizes she needs to ask something. "Jack, would you mind walking me down the aisle and giving me away?"
"Janet, do you even need to ask" Jack says with a reassuring grin. "I'd be honored."
"Oh Jack, thank you." Janet whispers as the two long time roommates embrace each other again. At that point, Terri re-appears and smiles as she sees that Jack and Janet appear to have made up. She coughs to get their attention.
"So, uhm, is everything good now?" Terri asks.
"Well not everything, but at least we're on the right track." Janet says. "Jack's going to give me away. But I still need to find a caterer, otherwise I'm going to have a lot of unhappy wedding guests."
"Why don't I just ask Felipe?" Jack suddenly blurts out.
"Felipe?" Janet and Terri say simultaneously.
"Yeah, the chef I use to work with. Mr. Angelino told me a few weeks ago that Felipe quit his restaurant because he was trying to start his own catering business." Jack explains.
"Do you think he'll do it on such short notice?" Janet asks.
"Are you kidding. The guy's starting out. He can't afford to turn down business. And besides, I've done plenty of favors for him the last few years. He owes me one." Jack says.
"Oh Jack, I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you." Janet says.
"Well, I can think of a few ways." Jack says jokingly as he tries to lighten up the mood. Janet laughs as Terri playfully smacks Jack on the shoulder.
"So Jack, does this mean you're going to move back in? I mean the three of us only have a few more nights together to be roommates. That is unless you've grown super attached to sleeping on Larry's couch." Janet says.
"Are you kidding? One more night in that apartment and I'm either going to kill Larry or he's going to end up killing me. Oh, it'll be so good to sleep in my own bed again tonight. That is unless of course Terri hasn't already asked Mr. T to move in." Jack jokes, referring to Terri's comical display earlier of trying to cover up what she was really doing by saying she was looking for Mr. T. Janet looks confused as she doesn't get the joke.
"Well now that all the drama is out of the way, can we please order? I'm starving." Terri says.
"Of course." Jack replies.
"Wait, before we do. I just want to propose a toast. Here's to the two best roommates that this bride to be could have." Janet says as she raises her glass.
"Janet, here's to you and Jack's reconciliation." Terri says as she holds up her glass.
"And here's to me getting the heck out of Larry's apartment tonight and back to where I belong." Jack says, sparking a laugh from Janet and Terri. The three of them clink their glasses together in a toast and then sip their wine.
Later that night, Jack, Janet, and Terri all walk into their apartment. Jack is just happy to be out of Larry's and back in his own place. But he is also exhausted due to the high emotions he's had over the last couple of days and also due to the fact that he has gotten very little sleep sleeping on Larry's couch the last couple of nights.
"And here we are." Terri says.
"Great." Jack says as he yawns. "Listen, Janet, Terri, I just want to say I'm really happy we're all friends again."
"Oh forget it, Jack. We're just glad to have you back home." Janet replies.
"Yeah. Speaking of which, I am completely exhausted. So I'm going straight to bed and the second my head hits that pillow I'm going to be out like a light." Jack says.
"All right, Good Night, Jack." Janet says.
"Good Night, Janet." Jack says as he kisses her on the cheek. "Good Night, Terri." he says as he kisses Terri's cheek. Jack walks into his bedroom and closes the door and goes right to sleep. As soon as he does, Terri walks over to Janet.
"Well, that's half of your problem solved." Terri says with a grin.
"Yeah. Too bad the other half didn't work out so well." Janet replies with a frown.
"Oh no. What happened? Did Chrissy not accept your apology?" asks a concerned Terri.
"Terri, she wouldn't even talk to me. I called. The minister's wife that she's staying with answered the phone. When she went to go get Chrissy, I could hear her in the background. Chrissy told her she had to get to work because she had something very important happening today. And when she told her it was me, she wasn't even willing to talk to me." Janet says, a look of disappointment comes across Terri's face.
"Oh no." Terri replies. "What are you going to do?"
Janet shrugs her shoulders. "What can I do? I can't apologize to someone who won't even listen to me. Not that I can say I blame Chrissy for not talking to me. If someone said the things to me that I said to her the other night, I wouldn't want to talk to them either." Janet says.
"Ouch." Terri replies as she grits her teeth, feeling the stress of Janet's situation.
"And here's the real kick in the teeth, this morning when I talked to Reverend Snow on the phone, he offered to perform my wedding for free." Janet explains.
"What?" asks Terri.
"Yeah. He said after as good a friend as I had been to Chrissy for all these years that he would consider it an honor and privilege to do my wedding." Janet says.
"Well Janet, that's great." Terri says
"Great? Terri, how can I ask him to do my wedding for nothing after what I said to his daughter. That would just be too awkward. Plus, what am I supposed to tell him when he asks why Chrissy isn't here? No, I can't have Reverend Snow do it." Janet explains. Terri frowns, but nods her head.
"I understand. But hey, at least you patched things up with Jack." Terri says.
"Yeah, thanks to you." Janet says as she reaches out and squeezes Terri's hand to show that she greatly appreciates her role in helping her to realize her mistakes and make amends with Jack before it was too late. Terri grins supportively back at her.
"Well listen, I need to get out of my work clothes and take a shower. It's been a long day." Terri says as she starts to walk to the bedroom.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Janet replies. At that point, the phone starts to ring. Terri stops and turns around to look at the phone. "Oh Terri, I'll get that. That's probably Phillip. I told him to call me tonight." Janet says. Terri leaves the room to take a shower while Janet goes over to the table next to the door to the kitchen and answers the phone.
"Hello." answers Janet.
"You have a collect call from Chrissy Snow. Will you accept the charges?" asks the operator. At this point, Janet's heartrate picks up as she was not expecting to ever hear from Chrissy again after this morning.
"Um, Um, Yes. Yes operator, I'll accept the charges." Janet stutters as she waits a few seconds for the call to be connected. "Chrissy?" Janet asks.
"Janet, I thought I told you that you weren't supposed to accept the charges." Chrissy says over the phone.
"What?" Janet asks, her mood immediately goes from nervousness to confusion.
"Well, don't you remember the conversation we had on the phone three years ago? I call you collect and if somebody answers then I know your home so then I call right back station to station, it's cheaper. Gosh Janet, don't you ever listen to me?" Chrissy says, leaving Janet confused and befuddled.
"Chrissy, you expect me to remember a conversation we had on the phone three years ago about collect calls?" Janet asks.
"Well sure, I remember. And if I can remember then I know you can remember because you remember things that I don't remember. So, if I remember then I know you have to remember. Do you see what I mean?" Chrissy says, rambling off in her classic trademark way. Janet shakes her head in disbelief.
"Look, just forget about the collect call. I have something very important that I need to tell you." Janet says as she takes the phone into the kitchen in order to have some privacy so that nobody else will hear her on the phone.
"No Janet, you listen to me first." Chrissy says in an unusually assertive tone. "For a long time, I always did what you wanted me to do. I did things I really didn't want to do because I didn't want to lose you as a friend. I valued your opinion. But I'm not going to let you do it this time! No way! You aren't going to spoil my parade. I won't let you rain on my party." Chrissy says in a firm and scolding tone, though still having the overall demeanor of childlike innocence.
"Uhm Chrissy, I think you mean spoil your party and rain on your parade." Janet replies.
"See, there you go again. Always having to jump in and correct me." Chrissy replies back.
"Look, Chrissy I was just….." Janet starts to say.
"I know what you were trying to do Janet, and I'm not going to let you." Chrissy says back, cutting off Janet in mid-sentence.
"Chrissy listen, I need to talk to you about Jack." Janet says.
"Yeah, well so do I." whines Chrissy. "Janet, I never fooled around with Jack when we all lived together. And it really hurts that you actually think that either one of us would do that. Neither of us ever broke the ground rule. But you're getting married now and moving on. And I realize now that I really do love Jack with all my heart. I'm happy when I am with him and I'm miserable when I'm away from him."
"Chrissy, I just want to say…." Janet starts to say.
"I know what you want to say, Janet." Chrissy interrupts again. Janet begins to get frustrated that Chrissy is continuing to rant without letting her say much, but she also knows Chrissy's anger towards her is justified so she lets Chrissy continue to talk. "You want to say that this is wrong. That what Jack and I have is wrong and we are wrong for going after it. Well, I'm sorry, Janet, but not this time. I'm not the one who is wrong here, you are!" Chrissy says with authority.
"You're right, Chrissy, I am." Janet interrupts. This silences Chrissy for a minute as she wasn't expecting Janet to agree with her.
"You are?" asks Chrissy.
"Chrissy, that's what I was trying to call you about this morning." Janet says.
"It was?" asks Chrissy, clearly still confused.
"What I said the other night was wrong. I didn't think things through and I was looking at it from my own selfish standpoint." Janet says.
"You were?" Chrissy asks. Janet can tell by her two worded questions that Chrissy is confused.
"Listen Chrissy. When I saw you and Jack together, it touched a nerve. It was like all these old emotions from years ago came flooding back. And in my mind I started to make everything about me. And I know this is stupid, but I took the news of you two as a personal rejection. I guess I still had it in my mind that you and I had a competition going for Jack's attention and that him being with you meant that I lost. But I know the whole competition thing was all in my head. Kind of crazy, huh?" explains Janet.
"Actually, no it's not." Chrissy replies
"Huh?" asks Janet.
"Janet, after Jack and I left dinner that night, we started walking. You see, I had a major choice to make about whether to move back here to L.A. to be with him or stay in San Francisco. Because I couldn't ask Jack to give up his restaurant. And I had already decided in my mind that if Jack was really truly happy with me, then I was going to move back. It wasn't even a decision, even with a promotion offer." Chrissy explains.
"So then why did you leave? It's obvious that Jack loves you and you make him happy." asks Janet
"I asked him what would really make him happy. He told me he really wanted to be with me, but also that he didn't want to lose you as a friend. When I heard that, it was like hearing that he had chosen his friendship with you over any kind of future with me. So I told him that I would never make him choose between the two of us, and I left." Chrissy explains in a sad tone.
"Oh my God." Janet exclaims as she buries her face on the kitchen table in angst. She is truly upset with herself as she realizes that position that she put Jack and Chrissy into. "And he just agreed to walk me down the aisle at my wedding." Janet mutters.
"Who did? Jack?" Chrissy asks.
"Yes, Jack." Janet answers. "Chrissy listen, we got to stop this." Janet says
"Well, okay. But don't you think Jack will be kind of upset not walking you down the aisle after you already asked him to?" asks a confused Chrissy who misinterprets what Janet just said.
"No Chrissy, I'm not talking about the wedding. I'm talking about you and me." Janet corrects her. Chrissy is still confused.
"You want me to walk to you down the aisle?" Chrissy asks. Janet's frustration begins to grow with Chrissy's dimwitted remarks.
"Chrissy!" Janet says as she clinches her fist. "I mean we have to put an end to this stupid competition we have in our heads. It's not about you winning or me winning. It's about our lives and being happy. I have had a wonderful friendship with Jack over the last 8 years, one that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. But I don't love him." Janet says.
"You don't?" asks Chrissy.
"Well, of course I love Jack. But as a good friend, or as a big brother. I don't love him in the same way you do, Chrissy. And I can't make him happy in the same way you can. And I'm perfectly fine with that." Janet explains.
"Janet, what exactly are you saying?" Chrissy asks.
"I'm saying that as long as it's what you both want, then I want you and Jack to be together. I want you both to be happy." Janet says.
"Well, I want to be with him." Chrissy says. "But wait a minute, does this mean I can come to your wedding?"
"Oh Chrissy, of course you can." Janet replies as she breaks a smile. "I couldn't have my big day without you here. Especially if your dad is going to be the one to perform the wedding."
"Oh, so he did talk to you? I was hoping he would." Chrissy says. Janet grins. Her spirits start to lift but she still feels really guilty about what happened.
"Chrissy, I'm really sorry about everything that I said." Janet says.
"No Janet. You had the right to be upset. Jack or I should have told you instead of springing it on you as a surprise." Chrissy says.
"But that's no excuse for the things I said. Can you forgive me?" Janet asks sincerely.
"Of course, I can, Janet." Chrissy says
"Chrissy, one more thing. Why didn't you want to talk to me this morning?" Janet asks.
"Oh. Well, I would have. But I had something big on my mind about work and I didn't want to lose my train of thought." Chrissy explains
"About work? Oh, I see." Janet replies.
"Yeah. I was thinking about how I was going to tell me boss that I'm quitting." Chrissy says.
"Quitting? So you had made up your mind about moving back here all ready?" Janet asks.
"Janet, the last couple of days the only thing I can think about is Jack. I've never felt this way before. What else can I say? I just love him. I mean he's so goofy and such a clutz at times, but he's so sweet too and handsome." Chrissy says. Janet rolls her eyes but grins as she is happy for her. "Is he there? Can I talk to him? I just need to hear his voice again."
"Well, he's gone to bed. But I can go wake him up. I know he wouldn't mind being woken up if it meant being able to talk to you." Janet says.
"Okay." Chrissy says. Janet starts to put the phone down to go get Jack, but then an idea comes to her mind. "Chrissy, wait. I have an idea."
"An idea?" asks Chrissy.
"How would you like to give me the best wedding present in the whole world?" asks Janet.
"Well, I can try but I don't have a whole lot of money." Chrissy answers.
"No silly. I'm not talking about something you buy and wrap up." Janet says.
"You're not?" asks Chrissy.
"No. The best gift in the world for me would be for me to be able to see Jack's face when you surprise him and come to see him on my wedding day?" Janet suggests.
"It would? But how are we going to do that?" Chrissy asks.
"When were planning to come down here?" Janet asks.
"Well, I quit my job today. So now I just have to pack everything up and then I was going to catch a plane down there on Friday." Chrissy says.
"Perfect. My wedding is on Saturday. I can ask Phillip if his parents will pick you up from the airport. You can spend the night with them, and then come with them on Saturday to the wedding. Boy oh boy, when Jack sees you he's going to go through the roof." Janet says with excitement.
"Oh Janet, do you really think so?" asks an excited Chrissy.
"Oh, without a doubt." Janet says.
"Okay, then I'll do it." Chrissy says.
"Great. Let me call Phillip right now and explain everything him." Janet says.
"Oh Janet, this is so exciting!" Chrissy says
"It is, isn't it? I'll talk to you later, Chrissy. Bye." Janet says as she hangs up the phone.
Janet takes a long breath and smiles. For the first time in days she is starting to feel happy and excited again. Suddenly her wedding doesn't seem to be a chore anymore, but rather an event that she can't wait for it to get here, and for all the right reasons.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Okay, these last couple of chapters were a little difficult to write because of all the emotional drama that took place. It was necessary, but there were times when I was writing where it felt more like a soap opera that a Three's Company episode. But nevertheless, we're coming down to the home stretch of this story and I'm really excited about the chapters coming up.
Stay tuned!
