Note: I'd started this story damn near four years ago now, and I'd all but abandoned it after losing interest and "life" happening and what not. So, I want to give a shout out to a review from stayathomemum (who has probably completely forgotten about it by now) as well as encouragement from my Three's Company family to continue with it. The following chapter might feel a little different because I'm different and I write differently and it's been four years. It's also kind of a transitional chapter and might feel a little dry, but it's going to get juicier I promise!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed and has read and waited and/or forgotten. Enjoy.

...

Chapter 6

I Never Stopped

Phillip and Vicky returned to the cabin about an hour later, and Jack and Janet had used the time to ready themselves for the rest of the day. There was still the minor issue about making the cabin presentable after the pyrotechnical show from the night before – residue from the fire extinguisher still clung to the nooks and crannies of the floor, walls, and furniture. They took turns mopping, soaking, and airing out, ensuring that any fines they received remained minimal. But the two of them also used the time to solidify their plans. Naturally Janet led the way, insisting that anything too obvious would have the reverse effect of angering their significant others.

"When Phillip first met you, he'd told me how it made him uncomfortable that you and I were so close. Nobody ever seemed to have an easy time understanding that you could live with two girls without anything going on, and he was no exception," Janet explained. "If we could just tap into that fear..."

"But it doesn't seem to bother him now. And for what it's worth, Vicky never really mentioned anything about it," Jack retorted.

Janet sighed, pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts. "It's different now. We don't live together anymore," she pointed out. "And Vicky wasn't around long enough while we were living in the apartment to form much of an opinion."

"So what are you saying?"

"Well, we could draw on our history. Reminisce. In front of them. It's innocent, but it could be very effective if done correctly," her eyes twinkled deviously.

Jack raised an awkward side grin in response, shaking his head. "Alright, when do you propose we lay it on 'em?"

"Tonight at dinner. Phillip already made reservations at The Lakefront."

"That upscale place?"

Janet lightly grimaced and shrugged as if to imply "that's Phillip for you."

"And Jack," she added, as they saw Vicky and Phillip approach from the pathway in front of the cabin. "Don't do that thing you usually do at restaurants. We're on a mission, okay?"

"I won't critique the food Janet."

"You'll leave the chef alone, too?"

"The only words from my lips will be fond memories in apartment 201 with my good friend Janet Wood. I will be strictly business." He saluted her military style, but the fire extinguisher residue he was standing on caused him to slip and knocked him off balance, leaving him to greet their significant others from the floor as they entered the room.

...

The place was even more upscale than Jack had anticipated, and he thanked his lucky stars that Vicky had encouraged him to bring something nice to wear on the trip. Fortunately, the menu provided standard American fare, with a focus on seafood, and he felt less tempted to throw on his critic's hat. Still, the bustling enterprise put knots in his stomach, reminding him of the bistro's nearly barren evenings. He tensed as the maître d greeted them, and Vicky felt his palms begin to sweat. Aware of just exactly what Jack was thinking, but afraid to open up a can of worms, she plastered a forced smile on her face as they were led to their table on the patio.

It was a beautiful evening, and the moonlight glistened on the lake while the boats that were docked nearby gently bobbed against a light breeze. Vicky commented on how charming the place was, and Phillip noted that he had made sure to check in with his buddies to recommend the best location in the area - and he hadn't done a bad job in choosing, if he did say so himself. Janet made eye contact with Jack as if to remind him what they were really there for. He nodded, but she noticed that his eyes had glossed over.

"What's wrong?" she mouthed, her face falling with concern.

He shook his head in reassurance and waved it away.

Brow furrowed, her eyes lingered on him for a moment as they took their seats, but Jack seemed to switch gears as soon as the menus were placed in their hands. He forced a chuckle, and suddenly a playful spark ignited from within.

"Lordy, lordy, lordy," he grinned.

Ah, there it was. Janet glanced up at him over her menu. What was he up to? Trying to hold back a smile, she looked back down, feigning ignorance.

"Something on your mind, Jack?" Phillip piped in eagerly. Vicky remained cautiously tight lipped.

"It's nothing, really," Jack played coy with a smirk on his face and waited for the others to take the bait.

Phillip chuckled in response. "Alrighty, then. Well in that case, how about I put in an order for a bottle of champagne. Apparently they import the real stuff directly from France. How does that sound, sweetheart?" He motioned to Janet.

"Well, I – " she began, eyeballing Jack.

"Oh, I think that sounds lovely!" Vicky interjected.

"Of course, it never seems to taste the same as it actually does in France," Phillip added

"I noticed that!" Vicky replied.

"Excuse me, sir, could I put in an order for your finest champagne– "

"I was just THINKING," Jack raised his voice slightly to talk over the others, startling them into silence. Jack chuckled uncomfortably and lowered his voice. "I was just thinking about how much this place reminded me..." he forced a laugh in an attempt to play up the memory, "...of how this place reminded me of..."

"Chez Pierre's!" Both Jack and Janet spoke at the same time, the idea forming in both of their brains simultaneously. It took them both aback, and their laugh was genuine, especially considering that the place really wasn't at all like Chez Pierre's.

"Chez Pierre's?" Vicky asked.

"It's a restaurant that Janet and I...nah," he stopped himself, feigning embarrassment.

"What?" Phillip mused.

Janet shook her head, trying to stifle a smile at how thick Jack was laying it on. "Back when we were still living together, Jack and I were set up on a date by a computer. Nothing happened, of course, but it was quite the shock."

There was a brief silence as both Phillip and Vicky stared at the other two incredulously and exchanged glances. The air around the four of them tensed and Jack and Janet both held their breath as they waited for a reaction. Before either of them could interject to explain any further, they were interrupted by burst of laughter. Jack and Janet both frowned, startled by the unexpected response.

"What's so funny?" Janet asked.

Phillip tried his best to suppress his laughter. "I'm sorry honey, I just had this image of the two of you being chauffeured to your date by the robot from Lost in Space."

"I was actually picturing Rosie from the Jetsons. Jack, really? A computer?" Vicky laughed.

"Hey, listen. Computers happen to be very technologically advanced these days and who knows maybe computer dating is the future, even, but that's not the point," Jack stuttered.

"Well, hey, you may be right. This computer knew enough to set up two close friends who obviously have a lot in common. That's an impressive coincidence," Phillip mused.

"Yeah, I suppose," Vicky shrugged in agreement.

Janet had been biting her tongue, frustrated at how well the other two were handling the idea of her and Jack on a date. Why wasn't this working? And what's worse, why did Phillip find this all so amusing? It wasn't THAT funny. Jack and her had had a genuinely pleasant evening. In fact, she had been shocked at how much she'd actually enjoyed herself. That wasn't a memory to laugh at. And then, quite softly, she allowed herself to momentarily relive that evening and smiled.

"Janet, something on your mind?" Phillip asked.

She looked up at him, but the reverie took a moment to fade from her eyes. "I..."

Jack saw that she was stuck and picked up where she left off. "I think what Janet is trying to say is that, for what it's worth, it actually ended up being a rather enjoyable date." He smiled at Janet.

"Hey now, Jack, that's my wife you're talking about," Phillip playfully scolded Jack. "But lucky for Vicky and I, the date didn't entirely work out for you two." He wrapped a possessive arm around Janet's waist. Perhaps it was working after all, Janet thought.

"You know, I feel like there's a lot of things about your time living together that I don't know," Vicky looked toward Janet. "Jack talks so little about it."

Janet looked over at Jack, and he could sense her disappointment. His avoidance of her over the past year had unfortunately led to a lack of any mention of her at all.

"Well shame on me because...we had a lot of fun in that apartment, didn't we Janet?"

Her smile was warm and genuine. "Yeah, we did."

"Seven years, that's a long time. You must have a lot of stories to tell," Vicky said.

'There it was – an opening. Okay Jack, this is your chance. Don't blow it,' he thought to himself as he glanced at Janet.

"We slept together!" he stammered, then winced as soon as he realized what he'd just said. Everybody else's faces went pale. The waiter poured them each a glass of champagne, accidentally spilling a bit in response to Jack's words. They stared blankly with their mouths slightly agape.

"No!" Jack added as quickly as possible to curb any misunderstanding. "No, I mean we literally slept together."

Silence.

"In a bed." He downed the glass of champagne, aware of his failing words.

"Jack." Janet spoke through her teeth. Maybe that was going a tad too far.

Phillip finally snapped out of it. "I'm sorry, I think I must've misheard you. Did you just say that you slept with my wife?"

"Is this why you never talk about – " Vicky began.

"Hold it! Hold it," Janet interrupted, forcing a laugh to ease the tension. "Before there's any misunderstanding, what actually happened was Jack had gotten very drunk–"

At this point Jack had started in on Vicky's glass of champagne as well.

Janet sighed. "He chaperoned me to a meeting with this real lech of a guy. I'd been working all day and was exhausted. Jack was sick but he still pulled through for me, so he kind of got carried away with the drinks. So carried away, in fact, that he got blackout drunk and walked into the wrong bedroom when we got home, passing out in my bed before I could stop him."

"The lullaby, Janet." He wiped the remaining champagne he'd downed from his lips.

Janet glared at Jack and motioned to him to cut it out.

"He insisted," she glared again, "that I sing him to sleep. So I did. I sung Jack and myself to sleep. I passed out too. In bed. With Jack," she added.

There was another temporary pause as Phillip and Vicky took in Janet's recounting of that night. Janet held her breath and Jack, who was gaining a pleasant buzz, nodded his approval. He was finally starting to have fun with this. Before she could answer, they were interrupted by another wave of laughter.

'Again? Are you kidding me?' Janet thought.

"You really had me going there for a second, honey," Phillip said through fits of laughter.

"Me too," Vicky laughed. "Janet, Jack never told me how funny you were!"

They didn't believe her. They honestly didn't believe her. What on earth was it going to take?

As if on cue, and before Janet could say anything else, the waiter came by to take their orders. But almost as soon as the orders were placed, Jack's liquid courage emboldened him and he decided to start a conversation about food.

"I assure you, sir, that all of our beef is 100% USDA certified –"

"So absolutely no HORSEMEAT, then?" Jack inquired, raising his voice on the word horsemeat.

"Jack..." Vicky and Janet cautioned him simultaneously as Phillip looked on, slightly taken aback.

"Sir, I would urge you to keep your voice down..." the waiter replied, looking around nervously.

"Look, hey, I just wanted to be sure," he said to the others. Turning to the waiter, he added, "I'm a chef, you know. I have my own restaurant."

Vicky pinched the bridge of her nose, embarrassed. With the waiter in Jack's grip, something suddenly dawned on Janet. Of course – he was thinking about his own restaurant. Suddenly the pain in his eyes that she'd noticed moments ago made sense. How had it not been obvious to her when he had explained that the entire reason he'd felt disrespected by Vicky and her father was their disregard for his restaurant and his career? Of course a restaurant like this was going to open those wounds.

...

They four of them managed to get through the rest of dinner relatively unscathed. Jack and Janet had given up on their scheme for the night, silently agreeing that this segment of their plan was failing as miserably as the others had. Still feeling a bit guilty, Janet interrupted another conversation between Jack and the waiter ("That's Jack's Bistro. Maybe you've heard of it. Santa Monica, California, just off the –") just in time for the man to wriggle away. She had a plan – maybe if she stressed the work they had put into the restaurant, Vicky would reconsider her feelings on the matter. But she had to tread lightly with such a tender topic. Any wrong moves and she could inadvertently create a disaster.

"Gosh, it's been so long since I've been to the restaurant. I still remember the day it opened like it was yesterday."

Vicky looked up curiously.

"Hey, yeah. Good old Jack's Bistro. How's the p – "Janet kicked Phillip underneath the table before he could finish the question, intent on guiding this conversation in her own intended direction.

"Jack, do you remember how hard you worked to make sure the whole day came together? We were all so proud of you," she smiled warmly.

Jack responded with a sideways grin, her words drudging up a memory of a happier time. "Yeah." It didn't matter how terribly it'd started, because in the end it proved how much the people in his life had cared about him. And no one had made a bigger impact than –

"Jack, did you...I think maybe we should talk about something a little less..." Vicky stuttered, struggling to come up with an excuse to change the topic.

Jack ignored her and looked at Janet. Any thoughts of their scheme had gone out of his mind, and even though he was still buzzed, his words were clear and sincere. "Janet I never told you this, but if it weren't for you I'd never've had the courage to go through with it. When I saw that run-down building, I was ready to walk out and give up. But you wouldn't let me."

Vicky looked at Janet, and only a very observant onlooker might've noticed a hint of contempt in her expression.

"I told you then that I'd always remember what you did for me," Jack continued. "And I did."

Vicky and Phillip sat silent. There was no laughter this time.

"Oh Jack. Thank you..." she said softly, not expecting his words. Her eyes watered slightly.

"No, thank you. Jack's Bistro wouldn't even exist if – "

"Jack..." Vicky.

"Boy, Janet, it sure was nice of you to be so supportive," noted Phillip, a bit disdainfully.

Jack and Janet spoke to their respective significant others at the same time.

"Vicky, will you stop interrupting –"

"What's that supposed to mean, Phillip?"

Before long, the four were talking over each other, and the waiter Jack had been conversing with previously made a quick u-turn after having initially headed toward their table (quite cautiously) to refill their water glasses.

"I just don't think this is the appropriate time to be discussing - "

"Well, it's just that I have dreams too and you'd think – "

"If not now, then when, Vicky? Now is the perfect time – "

"Dreams? Did you invent your dreams yesterday? When were you going to fill me in on these dreams, Phillip?"

"Look, Jack, it is not my fault that the restaurant is failing."

Jack went silent, his face turning a light shade of scarlet. Janet and Phillip stopped their own bickering to wait for his reaction, but it never came. Taking the silence as an invitation, Vicky continued her argument.

"Jack, you and I both know it's just not working out anymore. That's the reason daddy and I discussed you going to work for him. We're only trying to help you, Jack. In fact, the whole reason I decided to go on this trip is because I thought we could discuss this together. Rationally."

Finally, Jack looked up at her. "That's why you came?"

Vicky nodded tentatively.

There was a moment of silence. Then silently, slowly, Jack got up and walked off. Vicky moved to follow him, but Janet shook her head.

"Vicky. Please, I think you ought to just let him be right now."

Vicky was silent for a moment. "I wasn't going to follow him." And she walked off in the other direction, leaving Janet and Phillip in awkward silence.

...

When Janet and Phillip returned to the cabin, Jack was alone on the porch while Vicky had already made her way into bed. Putting their own issues aside for a moment, they walked over to him. He was sitting in the dark corner, after both he and Vicky had failed to turn on the porch light, and his face remained impassive. Janet took two hesitant steps forward.

"Jack, honey, do you want to talk about it?"

Silence.

"Say, Jack, how do you feel about baseball? We ran into a group at the restaurant after you left and they invited us to join them in a game tomorrow at their camp. It's supposed to be a beautiful piece of land and – "

Janet looked at Phillip angrily. "I told you no!" she mouthed silently.

Jack still sat silently, staring ahead and not at either one of the others.

"Well, Jack..." Janet added slowly. "If you need anything, um...we'll be just inside, okay?"

Still he said nothing.

Her mouth remained in a smile, but Janet's eyes frowned as she looked for an answer in Jack's. After a few more silent moments, she slowly followed Phillip inside. Just as she was about to close the door, she finally heard him speak barely above a whisper.

"You still believe in me...don't you, Janet?"

She smiled through the screen, glad that he at least hadn't shut down completely.

"Of course I do, Jack. I never stopped."

And then, although it was barely noticeable, Jack returned her smile.