I want to add a content warning here. There's progressively more foul language in this and coming chapters, and in this chapter specifically there is a moment of unwanted sexual advances. It's very brief! But I wanted to be upfront and let everyone know.


The next few days went by better than anticipated, as they were riddled with praise, laughter, more of Shirley's baking (and in turn, more exercise), and coffee cups with fun facts about Annie written on them. Professor Kingsley was particularly pleased with their presentation (they were the only group with two posters… but they were also the biggest group) so he was pretty sure they got at least a B. He was also following his Criminal Psych class pretty well, no thanks to Duncan piling the work on. He wasn't excited by having a pop quiz and honestly thought his professor was deliberately trying to make his life harder (he still hadn't gotten over the car thing, as it had apparently cost $250 to get it out of the impound). But yes, all in all Jeff was feeling pretty good about himself. He was working out more, eating better, relaxing - which he realized he hadn't actually done since moving back to Colorado - and he had to admit it was nice to actually enjoy himself. Not that he didn't enjoy his job, but the longer he was away from it the more he wondered if he liked being a lawyer or liked being good at something. He never had felt like he was a very good son, and he knew he hadn't been a great student, so being a good lawyer in Greendale Colorado was the best he'd ever felt. Now, though, taking a break from it all and going back to school… He was realizing that maybe he could be good at something else. What that was? He still wasn't sure.

After his class was over and their project had been a hit Jeff thought about celebrating on his own, like he used to, but he realized the success didn't just belong to him. He followed his study group out to the hallway, smiling as they laughed and joked about their project. They were all headed to the study room (for what, he wasn't sure. The next two classes were just presentations). When they arrived they took their respective seats, and Jeff looked around at them, "So, congrats on a great, passing grade project. Are we going to celebrate?"

The group laughed at him, not in a mean way, but like he wasn't part of an inside joke. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I guess not?"

"We tend to save the celebrating for midterms and finals." Britta smirked, pulling out her books. "What would you even want to do?"

"I dunno, we could go out for a drink or dinner or-"

"A Die Hard marathon." Abed gasped. "You could definitely come as John McClain."

"Abed," Annie sighed, "We agreed no marathons on weeknights."

Her roommate frowned and looked down as Troy patted his shoulder, whispering, "It's okay, bud, we can watch them this weekend."

"I think it's sweet." Shirley smiled. "I'd like to do dinner one day, all of us. I have to take the boys to karate tonight though. Maybe we can plan for another day?"

"I think that would be great." Annie smiled, side eying Jeff. "You're full of good ideas, huh?"

"It's dinner, not a revolution, Annie." Britta scoffed. The group groaned collectively and moved on to other topics, but Jeff still felt pretty pleased they were into his idea. He excused himself quietly as his phone started ringing, and he answered outside the study room with a heavy sigh, "What do you want, Alan."

"Tango!" He exclaimed loudly, causing Jeff to pull the phone away from his ear. "How's it hanging down in Loserville?"

"Wouldn't you know better than me? Thought that was your last known address."

"Ah, fuck off!" Alan laughed loudly. "Look, the guys were talking about getting together Saturday night for some drinks at The Landing, and they all miss you or some sappy shit, so they told me to invite you."

He smiled, unwillingly excited. He hadn't been to The Landing in months, and he really, really enjoyed himself the last time he was there (it was honestly the only nice club in town, and he typically frequented bars more anyway). "What time?"

"Eh, let's have an early night and say 10?"

"I can live with that."

"Of course you can. You don't have shit else going on, Mr. Sabbatical. Hey, what are the girls like over there, are of them any the hot college chick type? There's a couple in my NA meeting but they don't seem to be on my level."

"Goodbye, Alan."

Jeff hung up and shook his head before wandering back into the study room, hopeful that Saturday wasn't going to be a mistake.

Jeff sat in his Lexus, the radio turned to some top 40 station he wasn't really listening to, as he debated going into The Landing. On one hand, it was a really posh club (dress code, velvet booths, a patio out in the back with heat lamps, a couple hookah stations, cabanas, an upstairs dancefloor, you get it). On the other hand, Alan would be there. But also, the drinks were fantastic, and all of the girls were good looking. But, again, Alan would be there. He sighed loudly, and figured he'd already put on a suit (he looked pretty good, actually. He'd almost forgotten what he looked like in Hugo Boss), so he might as well try to enjoy himself. The worst that could happen was Alan and the guys would be dicks and he'd just talk to some strangers or go home. No big deal. Plus, if Ted and Mark were there he'd have a good time for at least an hour.

Walking into the club left Jeff feeling a little lighter. He smiled and looked around, reveling in his past hijinks (not that he'd really been OUT out in a few months). He glanced around at a couple of 'high touch' areas slowly, wondering if he could guess where his peers would be, but he didn't have long to wonder before he was tackled by a certain atrocious, bald, little man.

"Tango!" Alan hollered, squeezing Jeff by the neck and dragging the much larger man down to his height. "You look like shit!"

"And you, Alan? An absolute dream." Jeff grunted, pushing him away quickly. Alan already reeked of alcohol, and Jeff wasn't sure how much he'd had to drink already but knew it was nearing cut off time. Jeff smoothed out his jacket and smiled, "Where are the guys?"

"Ah, they're out back, they took up a cabana. Come on, they all want to see you. Did you want a drink? I mean, I know you want a drink, but what? First round is on me."

Jeff smirked and nodded, "You already know."

"Macallan, neat." The two laughed together, falling back onto their old routine. Jeff continued looking around as Alan went to the bar, and he skulked about, looking to see if there was anyone of interest to talk to (or, perhaps, take home? Eh. Probably not. That hadn't been his MO lately). He slipped outside, grinning as he noticed the members of his firm laughing it up in a cabana.

"Heyyyy!" He exclaimed, arms wide open as he peered around a post. The guys all yelled loudly, raising their glasses or shots in excitement at seeing the Wingman. Delighted to see Mark and Ted, Jeff slipped down onto the cushioned bench between them. "My guys! How has it been. I know the last few weeks have felt like a lifetime without me."

"Honestly, the longest month of my life." Mark rolled his eyes, taking a long swig of his beer, "It's been a nightmare without you there to lighten the mood. No one knows how to crack a joke like you, Winger."

"I mean, when you're the best, you're the best. Am I right?" Jeff grinned and shook hands with other guys around the cabana.

"You always are, Winger." Ted smiled at him before looking behind them, obviously sensing (just as Jeff had), that Alan was on his way over, drinks in hands. He passed the Macallan to Jeff as he stood with his beer, leering at the women over at a hookah station. Jeff rolled his eyes and sipped his drink, happy despite Alan to be out again. He did, however, remain quiet as his coworkers chatted, swapping stories that Jeff would have once found engaging but now almost felt… bored by? Shaking his head he took another swig of his drink, wondering what was wrong with him. This was his crew, these were his friends, this is his life. Right? He scowled, looking into the scotch before being ripped away from his thoughts.

"Tangoooo? Hello, Winger, anyone up there?" Alan chortled and slapped Jeff on the shoulder. "What's up, man? Past your bedtime?"

"Man, I'm just thinking how much I missed being out with the guys." Jeff laughed shakily, sinking deeper into the cushions. It was almost sickeningly hot under the heat lamps, and he loosened his tie and collar. "Who's got the next round?"

"Ah, it's me." Mark sighed, getting up. He stretched slightly and went around the small circle, getting everyone's orders before dragging Alan to the bar with him to help him carry the drinks back. Jeff took the opportunity to turn to Ted and smile, "So, things are going well. I'm already a shoe in for that degree."

"Well, you might be a shoe in for partner, my dude." Ted laughed and tossed back the rest of his beer. "Harold is retiring."

Jeff's eyes went wide and he turned to face his boss, "Shut the hell up."

"I'm not kidding man. It's a little hush hush right now, but once he announces it we'll be throwing a little retirement party. I'll let you know when so you can do you. Shmooze and all that shit you're so good at, you silver tongued bastard."

Jeff grinned and sat back in a daze, suddenly reinvigorated by the news. He was a few short months from his dream, all the work he'd put in over the last few years was finally going to pay off.

"Hey guys!" A feminine voice said from behind them. A waitress walked into view, a tray in hand riddled with tiny glasses, "Anyone up for shots."

Jeff took a long gulp of his drink, wanting to finish it off before indulging in shots when he heard a soft gasp. He looked up and suddenly sputtered his drink out, choking and coughing while grabbing a napkin quickly off the table as his friends yelled at him for spitting on them. "I'm- I'm sorry, fu- wrong pipe."

"God damn, Jeff!" Ted said, "I didn't mean to get you worked up. Let's have some shots to settle you down-"

"No thanks!" Jeff said quickly, standing up and making eye contact with the server. "I've uh, I've gotta go to the bathroom, be right back."

He turned and hopped over the little bench, rushing into the club and running his hands through his hair as his friends bought a round of tequila shots. Jeff waited by the door, still staring at her until she quickly walked over to him, "Jeff! Are you okay?"

"Uh, I don't know Annie, what the hell are you doing here?"

She furrowed her brow before looking around and gesturing to her tray of shots. "Working? Obviously?"

"THIS is your second job?"

"Yeah, I started working here during the summer, Britta bartends here and talked her boss into hiring me for Fridays and Saturdays."

"Well I see why you didn't want Shirley knowing you 'worked nights'."

"Don't be gross," Annie sighed, looking around. Jeff was absolutely trying, but her form fitting back crop top with jeans and kitten pumps to match were making it increasingly difficult. "I'm very capable of-"

"That's not what I meant." He whispered. "I know she's Judgey McJudgerson."

"Hmmm." Her eyes continued wandering, and she appeared distracted. He didn't realize how dry his lips were until he gently licked them, looking at her softly curled hair and darkly lined eyes. "Listen, buy a shot really quick, I'm not supposed to really hang around long enough to have a conversation."

"Sure." He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and had to ignore her rolling her eyes. Slipping a five into her hand he grabbed a shot and threw it back, feeling stupid for how… stupid he looked. "You said Britta's here?"

"Yeah, she works the upstairs bar."

"What time are you off?"

She shot him a look before pushing past him, "I'm off at one, she'll be here til three. I've gotta make a couple rounds. Are you going to be okay?"

"Of course." He scoffed, looking hurt. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you just gave all of your friends a whiskey shower." She laughed at herself and smirked at him, "Fair warning, I'll be out there again. Maybe stick to water."

"Yeah well…. You stick to water!" Jeff shoved his hands in his pockets, unsure if he was feeling uncomfortable, excited, or… well shit, he didn't know. He smiled in his confusion and went back outside, ready to be humiliated by the peanut gallery.

"Hey… Okay there, Winger?" Ted raised an eyebrow as his friend sat back down, smoothing out his shirt. "You never seen a shot girl before?"

"I told, you, wrong pipe."

"Sure." One of the younger guys laughed. Was that Tim? He didn't know, he never talked to the newbies. Jeff rolled his eyes and grabbed a shot that was sitting on the table, "Well. Here's to forgetting."

"Aye!" They exclaimed, tossing their drinks in the air. He laughed, still uncomfortable, but pleased that everything would soon be forgotten. Alan and Mark returned, hands full of drinks and boozey smiles plastered to their faces.

"Do you think that hot blonde is working?" Alan laughed, sloshing Jeff's drink into his hand.

"Uh… Kinda short, kinda skinny, constant bitch face?"

"Why've you been coming here without me Wingman?!" The group laughed as Alan went around, passing out drinks and grabbing a shot off the table. "Didn't take you for a solo artist…"

"Oh, I was just saying that definitely sounds like your type. No idea who works here."

"He got you!" Mark laughed, rubbing his eyes and loosening his tie.

"Ey, ey, fuck you."

They all continued laughing, swapping work stories as they continued to throw back beers, Jeff and Ted being the only exceptions as they gently nursed a scotch each and quietly made fun of the rest of the morons they were hanging out with. Ted nudged Jeff slightly and nodded towards the cabana next to them, "Your wrong pipe is on the way over again."

Jeff rolled his eyes dramatically, wondering if he'd ever live the moment down (even if Ted was the only one sober enough to remember). He did, however, catch Annie's eye and smile, delighted when she blushed and smiled back. She finished handing off her shots at the nearby table and sauntered over, a smooth grin on her face as she stopped in front of them. "Ready for round two, boys?"

Alan raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down before he quickly stood up, albeit unsteadily, and wandered over to Annie who quickly took a step back. He grinned and gently took a couple shots off her tray, turning to hand them to the young guys across from Jeff and Ted (who looked at each other with an unspoken distaste.)

"Well there…" Alan's eyes were cloudy and red as he looked at Annie, again dragging them not subtly at all from her face down to her chest. "Tell me how I could have missed round one, little lady."

"Alan." Jeff warned, surprising Ted. In the past he just tended to let Alan be Alan. He couldn't really be stopped, so why bother trying?

"Uh…" Annie gulped, looking behind her towards the inside of the club before leaning away from him again as he grabbed a few more shots, "You weren't… here?"

"Come on Alan, sit down." Jeff snapped, inching towards the edge of his seat, ignoring Ted's hand on his chest. "Pay her for the shots and relax."

Alan sneered at him, slipping his hand in his pocket as he pressed closer to her, nearly up against her with his mouth near her ear. The young guys across from him were still snickering as they took their shots, "Aw, she doesn't mind."

"Alan."

He slipped a fifty out of his pocket and pressed it against her neck, looking at Jeff as he started to slide it over her collarbone, "I'm just paying her for-"

Alan didn't have time to finish his sentence because Jeff had already grabbed him by the collar and pressed him up against the wall four feet behind them, ignoring the gasps from the groups around them. "Don't fucking touch her, what is wrong with you, you asshole? She's a person, not an object!"

"Jeff!" Annie and Ted exclaimed together, looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes as Ted made his way past her to get between the two guys. He was beat to the punch as a bouncer pushed Jeff away, nodding at the bartender that was on the way over.

"What the hell, Winger?" Alan slurred, pushing him away with limited passion and fear in his eyes. "Since when have you cared?"

"Since when have you been so handsy? Don't be a pig." He spat, glaring at him with a fury he didn't know was in him. The group behind him was silent and the bouncer grabbed Alan, dragging him away with a gruff, "Let's not keep doing this, Alan. We told you last time, keep your fucking hands to yourself."

"What's going on here?" The bartender asked, standing near Annie and taking her tray from her. "Do we need to help this guy find his way out?"

Ted and Annie both quickly began defending him, stating he had simply come to her aid and Alan was the one harassing her. The bartender raised an eyebrow before turning to Annie and speaking to her quietly before nodding at Jeff and walking her away from the group of still stunned looking guys.

Jeff stood there nervously, flexing his hands in and out of fists. "So, look-"

"Man, that was fucking awesome!" Mark laughed. "No one ever tells Alan how it is, I love it!"

Furrowing his brow Jeff looked from him to Ted to the other men looking sheepishly at the ground. He realized he wasn't in the mood, at all, to stay any longer.

"Uh… Ted, Mark. I'll be seeing you. And you guys…" He looked around, still upset. "Fuck off."

Ted groaned deeply as Jeff turned and walked into the club, hoping by some miracle to find Annie and apologize. He really didn't know what had come over him, he'd never gotten up in Alan's face like that (or anyone's, really). Not that he didn't deserve it, but Jeff was usually a man of words, not actions, and it had really boiled his blood to see that sleaze bag treat his friend like that. Hell, he thought, he would've done that for any of his new friends. It was almost like… they were making him a better person, and he actually kind of liked it. He felt a little lighter after telling all those douche bags off. How could they have just sat there and laughed? How did he use to do it?

Jeff tried to shake off the gross feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach as he looked around for Annie. He was trying not to focus on the memories of him and Alan in bars, or at strip clubs, anywhere where he could be a disgusting douche bag and Jeff had just… let him. It made him sick, but he couldn't think about it right now. He just needed to find his friend and convince himself that he wasn't like Alan. After all, even at his grossest Jeff never put his hands on anyone that didn't want him to, and that made him feel a little better.

He noticed Annie talking to the bartender near the entrance of the club and made his way over, maintaining what he hoped was a respectable distance between them until he made eye contact with her. She nodded towards him and the bartender turned, looking him up and down before gesturing for him to come over to them. Jeff smiled weakly and tried to figure out what to do with his hands before settling on sticking them in his pockets.

"Um," Annie said quietly, crossing her arms over her chest, "Jeff, this is Frank, he owns The Landing."

Frank nodded at him, leaning against the bar, "Annie said you pushed that guy off of her?"

"Yeah…" Jeff said slowly, looking at the ground. "Sorry to kill the vibe out there, I'm just not into watching women get assaulted."

"Thank you for it, that guy is such a prick. He's been warned several times, but he doesn't get any more chances."

"Well, good. He doesn't deserve them."

Frank turned back to Annie and frowned, "I'm sorry your last night turned out to be such shit."

"Eh, it's no worse than my old neighborhood. I'm just glad Dennis saw me and came outside to toss him."

He laughed and shook his head, "Well we'll all miss you here. I hope to see you around once school's out, and if you want to come back next summer just let me know. You can have Britta's job."

Jeff smirked as the two laughed at the joke(?), and he wondered if Britta was as good at bartending as she was at everything else (not very). Frank shook Annie's hand before turning to Jeff, "Thanks again man. Have a good night."

He left them quickly, seeing something else that he was going to have to attend to, and the two friends stood in silence for what felt like an eternity to Jeff. She broke the ice by sighing and shouldering her purse (which he hadn't seen when he walked up to her, but assumed Frank had gotten for her so that she could leave early). "Well… this was surreal."

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I love finding new and exciting reasons to leave uncomfortable situations."

She laughed and he could have sworn her eyes were glistening. "Are you okay?"

"I mean, I will be." Annie shrugged. "I wasn't kidding when I said it wasn't any worse than what I'm used to. I used to live above Dildopolis before Troy and Abed asked me to move in with them."

"Jesus." He groaned. Every time he found out something new about her it fascinated him more and more. What hadn't she been through at this point? "So… are you heading home?"

"Um… yeah, I'm just gonna call a Lyft. I came here with Britta, cause I was going to hang out with everyone since it's my last night… but I don't feel like being around anymore."

"Hey, I can take you home. It's the least I can do… I feel REALLY shitty about all that."

"I mean, it is kinda shitty that you entertain friends like that."

His heart sank at the look she gave him, as if she was just seeing him for the first time. He hated it, he hated she saw that side of who he was. It was gross, and he shook his head and gave her a pleading look.

"Alan? Alan's not a friend, he's barely even an acquaintance. He happens to work where I work, but he's… Ugh, no. Not my friend. Ted's my friend, sorta. Mark's okay. But none of the others."

Annie smiled up at him, although he still felt a twinge of distrust from her, and nodded, "If you think you're okay to drive, I'll accept your offer."

"I had two Mcallan's -well, one and a half- and a shot of tequila. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Annie, I'm 6'4" and 200 pounds of zero body fat. I'm one hundred percent sure I'll be fine."

"Charming." She muttered as she rolled her eyes, but she allowed him to lead the way to his car, trying to hide her soft smile. "Thank you, by the way."

He shot her a curious look as he fished his keys out of his coat pocket, "For… not letting someone accost you?"

"For standing up to your friends. Well, coworkers. I know- I mean, in my experience not a lot of guys will stand up to other guys when they're being pigs."

"Well," Jeff smiled as he clicked his key fob to unlock his Lexus. He opened the passenger door for her, and leaned against the car's frame as she got in. "Pigs, jerks, and little boys won't call out gross behavior. I might be an asshole. And I might be lewd, crass, and even a little inappropriate, but I know women aren't objects and I refuse to let them be treated as such. No one should ever put their hands on you without you wanting them to, Annie. And if I'm around just know it will be the last thing they do."

Annie looked up at him shyly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks that she tried to hide behind a bright smile, "It was still very gallant. I appreciate it."

They smiled fondly at each other for a moment longer than could be considered friendly, and Jeff seemed to suddenly jerk back into reality with a chuckle. He shook his head and closed the door, leaving Annie to do a happy shimmy as he walked around to the driver's door.

"So," He sighed, settling in and buckling his seatbelt, giving her a smirk as he revved the engine. "Where to?"


A/N: ICk, sorry Alan is gross in literally every universe.