It was nearly five years later when Jack and Liz meet again. Surprisingly, it wasn't at Rockefeller Center or some social event they'd both been invited to. It was at their daughters' kindergarten back-to-school night, and neither expected to run into the other. "Jack?" Liz asked in surprise when she walked into the classroom a minute or two after Jack did, and saw that he was standing up against the back wall.
But before he could acknowledge her properly, the teacher began talking. They waited until the teacher was done with her presentation, and then properly greeted each other. "The girls are in the same class?" Jack asked rhetorically. "How strange."
When a man walked up behind Liz and placed one hand on her left shoulder and offered his right hand out to shake Jack's hand, Jack noticed the ring on Liz's finger. "Engaged?" he asked her.
"No, married. Wesley and I have been married for four years now," Liz explained, reaching up to pat Wesley's hand on her shoulder.
Jack laughed to himself about the coincidence of this statement. He and Avery had been divorced for four years now. He wondered if Liz and Wesley were married on the day that he and Avery signed the divorce papers, making it even more of a coincidence. "How's Avery?" Liz asked.
"I'm not sure. She left the country to go work for the BBC, and I rarely speak with her."
Liz glanced down at his ring finger, noting the absence of a ring, and inhaled slightly. "Oh. I'm sorry Jack. I didn't know."
"That's quite all right, Lemon—"
"Liz."
"Liz. Not many people are aware of things that were covered excessively in Page Six for three months while divorce proceedings occurred," Jack replied sardonically."
Wesley shot Jack a dirty look before moving to stand next to Liz and taking her hand into his. "Well, Jack, it's been lovely, but Margaret is waiting for us to get home to help put the kids to bed. See you around," Wesley said before Liz could say anything.
"Kids?" Jack echoed.
"We have a daughter, a son, and another one on the way," Wesley explained.
"You're pregnant?" Jack asked Liz in surprise.
She smiled brightly and nodded. "I'm due in February."
"Congratulations on your family," Jack told them sincerely before watching the couple leave the classroom.
****
Two days later, Jack decided he was going to call Liz and ask if she would like to have lunch with him. He dialed the number that he had always known by heart, but now had to write down before dialing. As the call connected, Jack took in a deep breath and waited to hear Liz's voice. "Hello?" she answered.
"Liz, it's Jack."
"Oh… hi Jack. You got a new number," she remarked.
"Yes. I did. How are you?"
"A little busy at the moment. Lucy and Charlie are being a little rowdy. In fact, I was hoping that you were Wesley calling to tell me that he was on his way home."
Jack laughed. "Kids, huh?" he commented.
"Yup. Always moving around. Who would have thought a five-year-old and a three-year-old would be so much work?" Liz asked jokingly.
Jack could hear kids in the background. He pictured Liz sitting in the kitchen of her apartment (though he suspected that they would have moved to another apartment at some point) with her two kids running through the kitchen playing with each other. He smiled at this sight. Liz Lemon and her family. She finally got what she wanted.
"Liz, would you like to join me for a lunch?" Jack asked bluntly.
"A lunch, meaning that this is already an established thing, or just lunch, meaning that we can meet anywhere, anytime, and still call it lunch?" Liz asked with an underlying tone of uncertainty.
He chuckled. "The kids kind of run you down a bit?"
"No, it's not the kids. It's work. My schedule is insane. Some days, I have to go in, some days, I stay home. Sometimes it fluctuates given the needs of the show."
TGS had been cancelled four years earlier. During the last year of its run, the show had gotten the best ratings it had ever gotten, and they had managed to pull together a fantastic final season. The network, thrilled with the success of the season, was set to sign contracts for another two years when Liz came into the meeting and informed the negotiators that there would be no more TGS; the time had come to put the jokes, the blood, the sweat, and the tears up on a shelf as a DVD box set of the complete collection of shows.
The writers and other staffers dispersed around Manhattan, some staying at NBC, others going to CBS or ABC. Some of the actors got sitcom deals, others got movie deals, and some had decided to work in stage productions. Jenna's sitcom that came about two years after TGS ended had been doing well in its sophomore year on the air. Tracy had gone on to EGOT once again with his various projects (none of which included him playing every single character in a movie or overweight female dogs) and was doing well.
Jack made sure that the TGS staff had jobs to move to. He had always felt a strange responsibility toward the show and the staff, always felt the need to keep the people who worked for his best friend in the best possible conditions. He had always done this, though he suspected it was because he wanted this for Liz. He wanted the best for Liz, and since Liz had put everything of herself into her show, it was nearly impossible to give the best to Liz and not give something to everyone else affiliated to the show.
When Liz left TGS, she didn't tell Jack where she was going or what she would be doing. She didn't even say goodbye when she had finished packing up her office and leaving the studio for the last time.
"Well," said Jack as he broke from his reminiscing, "maybe we can meet up when you have free time. How are your weekends?"
"Wesley and I like to keep the weekends for the family. We do our shopping, our cleaning, and preparing on the weekends."
"Preparing?"
"You know, laundry, lunches, pre-making dinners to freeze them… oh never mind… you have people who do that stuff for you. I mean, I'm completely game to meet up for lunch on the weekend, but I'd have the kids with me."
"I'll bring Bridget then," Jack suggested enthusiastically.
Liz made a noise of concern. "What?" Jack asked hastily.
"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea actually."
"Why not? Bridget and Lucy are in the same class."
"Lucy and Bridget have issues," Liz told Jack.
"What sort of issues?"
"Lucy does not like Bridget."
"Why is that?"
"Bridget picks on Lucy. Lucy has come home crying because Bridget has pulled Lucy's hair, pushed her off the swings, and has said mean things to her. I talked with the teacher about it, and she said it's a problem. I'm surprised that you haven't heard anything about it," Liz explained.
"Bridget doesn't really tell me anything. Rosa knows all about what is going on in Bridget's life. I'll talk with Rosa later," Jack promised Liz.
"Okay, you do that. So, this lunch… when, where, and what should I prepare myself for?" Liz asks jokingly.
****
Liz and Jack met up for lunch a few days later. Liz had her kids with her because Wesley had a meeting come up and he couldn't watch the kids like they had planned. "I'm sorry," Liz apologized as she sat her kids down in chairs on either side of the chair that she would be sitting in, "Wesley had an important meeting come up and my mother's out of town for the weekend."
"Don't worry; it's fine," Jack assured her as he smiled at the two shy children.
Lucy had thick brown hair that was coiled into loose curls. Her eyes still had that distinct shark-eye look, but her eyes didn't wear the wisdom as her mother's. She was an adorable little girl who, when Jack made a few jokes, broke out into giggles that proved that she had Liz's sense of humor.
Charlie had brown eyes, but they weren't nearly as dark as Liz's eyes. Jack supposed Charlie's eyes came from Wesley. His hair was as curly as his sister's hair, but it was a sandy brown color. He was more outgoing than his sister, but maintained the same sense of humor.
Liz, as she was busy getting her children situated, wore a slight smile on her face. She helped her children out of their early-fall apparel before taking off her own; handed her son his sippy-cup full of water, and handed her daughter her coloring book. When she finally managed to take off her coat, Jack smiled at the first indication that there was a third Lemon child on the way. She sighed as she sat down and broke into a smile. "I now understand why you and Avery relied on a nanny when Bridget was born," she remarked. "I could use an entire staff for these two."
The waitress came by with a set of menus and a tray of water for everyone. After they left, Liz went about scouring the menu for things her children would like. "Do you want to have a tomato-basil-mozzarella sandwich?" she asked both of her kids.
Jack was surprised when both nodded eagerly. "They like that stuff?"
"They're my kids, are they not?" Liz quipped as she peered over her menu. "What are you getting?"
"I'm not sure. Everything sounds good."
"Same here. I think I'm going to get the chicken salad. Protein, vegetables, leafy greens… everything that I'm supposed to be eating."
"Since when have you ever been health conscious?" Jack queried. "Who are you and what did you do with Liz Lemon?"
She laughed gently. "Wesley is obsessed with eating healthy. I don't have a problem with it because he cooks. And it's not terrible, surprisingly. I keep telling him he should start a blog with healthy recipes for busy parents. But he refuses… he doesn't think people would like it."
"Yes… I thought you two didn't start things on the right foot. How did you two end up together?"
"I kept seeing him everywhere after Carol and I broke up, so I decided that maybe there was really something to it. We went out for a few more dates, and I realized he wasn't as terrible as I originally thought. I decided I was going to let things happen on their own since I wasn't concerned with having a kid or getting married, and here I am now: married with children."
Jack glanced over at Lucy before glancing back to Liz. "He was consistently brilliant with her. That's ultimately what sealed the deal."
"Really? Lemon, you've grown as a person since I last saw you at NBC."
"Thank goodness for mistakes and learning from those mistakes," Liz said as she took a sip of her water.
"Mommy… how do you draw a microwave?" Lucy asked Liz.
"What? Why are you drawing a microwave?"
"I'm drawing our kitchen," Lucy explained.
Jack instructed Lucy with her drawing of a microwave as Liz poured more water into Charlie's sippy-cup. She had certainly changed in the time that she hadn't been at NBC. Her hair was longer now, still just as brown and thick as it had been when she was working at NBC. Her cheeks were rosier, her eyes brighter (though, as Jack decided, that could have been from exhaustion), and overall, she scowled much less. She looked much younger than she was: at least ten years younger. Jack found himself envious of Wesley for knowing this Liz, for spending his life with this Liz, instead of the old Liz.
He found himself secretly wishing it had been him who made Liz happy like this. But instead, he was on the outside, looking in at her happy little world. He had once had this life; married with a child, but somehow, the only thing that remained was his daughter, but that was only because Avery hadn't taken that away from him yet.
Jack spent the rest of their lunch watching Liz and wondering how he had gone wrong and how Liz had discovered the secret to being happy.
****
It wasn't for another three months that Jack and Liz were able to see each other again. Something always came up with their families or work, and it was easy for time to slip on by. Jack called Liz, catching her on the one day that she was free. "Liz, are you available to join me for lunch?" he asked, almost desperately, as soon as she answered her phone.
"Actually, yes," she replied, sounding almost surprised that this was happening.
"Where would you like to meet?"
"Dunno. You choose."
They met at a little café two blocks away from Jack's office. When Liz arrived, Jack was already there. She looked better than when he last saw her, now showing even more and looking vibrant. He hated when people remarked about how motherhood looked good on a woman, but with Liz, he had to agree. He stood to greet her and helped her with her jacket. She looked tired, but was pleased to see him. She hugged him and sat down. "Goodness Jack, how long has it been since we've done this?" she asked him as she pulled her gloves off her hands, one finger at a time.
It had been nearly six years earlier. It had been an afternoon somewhat similar to this one, at this particular café (which is why Jack had chosen accordingly), before babies, spouses, divorces, and new jobs ever came into play. Bridget and Lucy were factors of the near future, but for that one meal, it was just Liz and Jack, the divorced couple who had never meant to get married in the first place.
The waitress came over and took their order—Jack ordered a turkey sandwich and some chips while Liz ordered a soup and a salad. Their waitress left glasses of water for them before she took the order back to be fulfilled. "Thank god… I'm so thirsty. I haven't had a moment of rest since I got into work this morning. I'm so glad my maternity leave is coming up in a few weeks; I don't know how much more I can handle with work and family both demanding so much of me."
She took a sip of water, and as she did so, her wedding ring caught the light. The simple silver band and the no-frills diamond was exactly how Jack had imagined any ring of Liz Lemon's would look. He'd tried to get Avery a ring like that, except the diamond had been at least twice the size of Liz's, and it had been gold. Avery had demanded a platinum ring with three diamonds, each the size of Liz's diamond, and because Jack was so thrilled at the prospect of being domestic, he acquiesced, and Avery got what she wanted.
"Are you happy?" he asked her after she had finished drinking.
"Am I happy?" she echoed. "I don't see any reason why I wouldn't; I mean, I have a husband who supports me in what I have chosen to do with my life and is an excellent father to our children; I have two kids who, while they are a handful sometimes, are generally very good, and another one on the way; I have my health; I have my career… what more could I ever want without being greedy?"
"Do you regret leaving TGS?"
"No."
"I don't believe that."
"Jack, I was married to the show and was busy raising Jenna and Tracy instead of being married to a real person and raising my own kids. I'll always choose my life over TGS. That was something that having Lucy taught me."
"Lucy was the reason you left?"
"Of course. I couldn't do the show and raise a baby. I promised myself, before Lucy was born, that I would never rely on a nanny or someone other than my mother or Wesley to raise my children."
"Wesley was in the picture before Lucy was born?"
"He's her father."
"I thought Carol was her father."
"Carol is her biological father, but legally and emotionally speaking, Wesley is her father. His name is on the birth certificate."
"Why didn't you ever tell Carol about Lucy?"
"I didn't want him in her life."
"Why?"
"He hurt me too much. Granted, he gave me something that changed my life forever, but I couldn't have Carol in my life like that."
"But you hated Wesley."
"I also hated vegetables. Now look at my life."
"You settled."
Liz raised her eyebrows at his remark. "I don't think I did."
"You did. He was your settling-soulmate."
"I didn't marry my soulmate. I married a man who, as it turned out, shares similar interests and goals as I do. Wesley and I have created a life in which we both get what we want while compromising on our differences."
"You settled."
"Jack, I don't feel unfulfilled in my life. The sex is good, the home environment is comfortable, I'm happy, he's happy, our children are well-adjusted, and we're normal. Settling would mean that I am going around wondering what the hell happened to my life. I am in control of my life and I do not regret a single thing."
"I don't believe that."
"Then don't believe it Jack; that's your deal. But I'm happy, and that's all you need to know."
"You're happy because you're a mother."
"Yes, that's one of the contributing factors to my happiness. Wesley and I got off on the wrong foot and that was what you have seen of our relationship. You haven't seen our home life… you haven't seen our lives at all, to be quite honest," Liz finished defensively, though she hadn't any clue how their conversation had turned so defensive.
Liz pulled a face of discomfort and closed her eyes as she rubbed her belly, as if she were trying to rub out knots. "Are you okay?" Jack asked in concern.
She nodded with her eyes still closed. "He gets fidgety when I get stressed out. Lucy and Charlie were like that too."
"It's a boy?"
Liz nodded as she continued trying to calm her unborn child down. "I'm sorry Lem—Liz. I didn't mean…"
"No, it makes sense; your reaction makes sense given what you know of my relationship with Wesley. But I'm happy, Jack. That's all that matters."
Their lunch came and they ate in peace. Just as Jack was about to start up conversation again, the waitress showed up with the check. As Jack finished paying the bill, Liz's phone started to ring. She stopped in the middle of her bite and whipped out her phone. "Hello?" she asked as she answered.
She listened and made a few noises in response before hanging up the phone. Jack had stopped eating. "Is something wrong?" he asked her.
"That was the school; Lucy got hurt. I have to go. But thank you for lunch. I've enjoyed myself."
She turned to start walking to go hail a cab. "Liz, where are you going?"
"I have to go get to Lucy," she replied in an exasperated tone. "I'm going to get a cab."
"Nonsense. We'll get one of the NBC town-cars."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Jack made a quick phone call and the car arrived three minutes later. Once they were in the car, Liz was on the phone with Wesley. "The school just called; Lucy got hurt. I'm on my way there. I had lunch with Jack and he's just called a town-car, so we'll be there in about ten minutes if traffic is decent. Where are you?"
The panic that lingered in Liz's voice made Jack's heart hurt, but for the first time in the time that he knew her, she was demonstrating that she was completely in control of her life and had a clear vision of how to take action. Why she hadn't been a married woman with children earlier was unclear to Jack. She was a natural.
She clasped her phone shut and exhaled deeply. "What?" Jack asked.
"The school called him too. He said that Lucy was pushed off the play structure and broke her arm. He's on the train over to get to her now."
"Do you need to get to Charlie?"
"Charlie's with my mom. I'll call Mom when I get to Lucy."
The rest of the car ride was silent, except for the slight tapping of Liz as she texted someone telling them that she would be out for the rest of the afternoon. When they arrived at the hospital, which conveniently enough, was across the street from the school, Liz thanked the driver and got out of the car in a hurry. She was relieved when she saw Wesley hurrying down the street to the hospital entrance. "Did you just get here?" he called out.
"Yes. You?"
"Yes. And she's here?"
"That's what the principal told me."
Jack exited the car and stood back as he watched Liz and Wesley discussing their daughter. He walked over to join them. "Jack, thank you for lunch and getting me over here," Liz said warmly.
"Do you need me here?" he asked awkwardly.
A woman walked over to the trio. "Oh, Mr. Donaghy… I wasn't aware that you were called about this," she remarked.
"I wasn't. Liz and I were having lunch when the school called," Jack explained.
The woman, who was a secretary for the school, nodded in understanding. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you're here. Bridget was the one who pushed Lucy off the play structure."
Liz's face drained of all traces of color. "Bridget did this?" she asked quietly. "Why was there no supervision?"
"These things just happen, regardless of the amount of supervision provided, Mrs. Snipes."
"Okay, I understand that kids are kids, but my daughter has a broken arm because someone pushed her off a play structure. Couldn't have this been prevented?"
"Liz, let's just see how Lucy is doing first," Wesley rationalized.
"And then lose our minds because our daughter got hurt?"
"Yes."
Liz sighed. "Lucy got hurt. Am I out of line for acting like this?"
"No. But you don't know the situation and you're already tired and stressed out. It's best if we can judge the situation and then act accordingly," Wesley explained calmly as he put his arm around his wife.
"Okay. I see your point. I also appreciate how you worded yourself, trying to avoid the hormone word."
They went into the hospital, leaving Jack and the secretary outside. "Where is Bridget?"
"She's in the principal's office right now."
Instead of following his gut reaction to go after Liz and apologize for his daughter's actions profusely, he went to the principal's office to discuss how things would be handled with Bridget. Ultimately, Jack ended up paying for Lucy's medical bills because he felt such guilt and shame for his daughter's actions.
Liz and Wesley ultimately took Lucy out of the school. Jack didn't know when this had happened, but one day, when he went to pick Bridget up from school early, he scanned the room looking for a little Lemon, but she wasn't there. Bridget later informed him that Lucy had left.