A/N: It turns out I am a filthy, filthy liar. This is no longer a one-shot, and I will be doing one more chapter for this. My bad for having pants which are on fire.

Watching the scene of a beautiful spring day in LA go by as she rode in a car would normally put Jess at ease, or at the very least in a good mood. Today, she wasn't sure what she needed to calm her nerves. It was damn near a guarantee that alcohol would be the first thing attempted once she arrived at the reception.

Today she would see some of her old friends for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Most notably, there was the old roomfriend who she hadn't seen since a chance encounter in LAX many moons ago. This certain former roomfriend was the reason she was in LA today, and the reason for her uneasiness. Continuing to notice the world driving by, Jess ignored her son and daughter's disagreement from the back seat about whose turn it was to use the gaming device.

"Guys, just share it like you agreed, or nobody gets to use it," Phil stated authoritatively. Sheepishly, the young boy handed to device to the younger girl. Jess' husband turned his attention to his daydreaming wife. "Everything alright honey? You didn't even flinch at our screaming kids."

Jess turned to Phil, blinking away her nagging thoughts. "Yeah, just…thinking…if he even wanted me to come…"

"Sweetie, he invited you. From what you have told of me, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to invite someone to his wedding unless he wants them there. I don't sense any subversive motives," Phil reasoned.

"I know, and I'd bet you are right. It's just that the last time I saw him…well…it was a little contentious."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," he tried to reassure her. "If you want to leave at any point, I'll probably be sitting with the kids making awkward polite conversation with people I will never see again. Just say the word and we can get out of there."

Jess nodded her head, and returned her gaze to her window. This could get interesting.

…

Running ahead of her family, Jess found the entrance to the reception hall. She cursed the LA traffic that kept them in the car an hour longer than predicted. Bursting through the front doors, she spotted the restroom and ran inside, finding an unoccupied stall. Cursing herself for buying the larger drink at the lunch stop, Jess finished up and walked over to the sink. As she was washing her hands, the door burst open with a dark-haired woman in what was obviously a bridal gown and followed by what Jess presumed was a bridesmaid. The bride was a striking woman, with light hazel eyes. The bride seemed slightly flustered.

"No, no, no. You have to help me before anything else. It's my day and all!" the bride exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Jenny's ex showed up. I have to bail her out…"

With her half-hearted apology, the bridesmaid ran back out the door. After a frustrated sigh the bride turned her attention to Jess, who was now kicking herself for not already leaving the awkward situation. Why did she always have to find herself in weird situations in bathrooms at weddings?

"Hey you, polka-dot dress. I need a HUGE favor. My ho of a bridesmaid has left me hanging, can you hold my dress so I can go pee?"

Not exactly how I thought I would get acquainted with Nick's wife, Jess thought to herself. Being Jess though, she was never one to turn down a stranger in need.

"Yeah girl, I got you," she tried to reply as smoothly as possible. Almost immediately, the bride turned to the nearest stall while Jess followed. After getting the fabric of her wedding gown situated so that she could relieve herself, an awkward silence fell between the two strangers. Jess fought all her urges to use her usual coping mechanisms as she thought none of them would help her here. Instead she decided to look anywhere except at the woman who was peeing.

"Thanks again, by the way. I know this is strange, but damn if I didn't have to go. Between pictures and the limo ride, I thought I'd never see a bathroom again."

"Hey, it's no problem. I've been there before." Jess thought back to her own wedding when Cece and Sadie helped with her bathroom breaks. She made a mental note to thank them as it seemed not everyone had as dependable of friends.

"So I don't recognize you," the bride said flatly. "That means you are someone's plus one, or you know Nick."

Well, time to find out how much she knows.

" I…uh….I was a roommate of Nick's. My name is Jessica."

The bride's eyes grew wider. "Wait, you…you are Jess? Jessica Day? I've heard…quite a bit about you."

Welp…she knows.

"Yeah…I hope it was at least…mostly good?"

Jess' uneasiness caused the woman to laugh heartily. "Don't worry about it sweetie. Nick thinks…very highly of you. I'm Natalie by the way."

"I assumed as much, the dress was kind of a giveaway. Pleasure to meet you, Natalie."

…

Sipping on her glass of rose', Jess was thankful Phil was in a sociable mood. He was doing a great job of relieving some of the stress of making basic conversation with complete strangers over a meal. She knew he wasn't thrilled to be going to her ex's wedding, but he was a trooper. Excusing herself from the table, Jess headed to the back porch of the reception hall for some fresh air.

Outside of meeting Nick's wife while Jess was holding her gown in the bathroom, the night wasn't too much of a disaster. Jess ran into Winston, Schmidt, and Coach, and had a nice chat with each of them. Those weren't the guys that were on her mind now. Looking out on the city scene from the porch of the country club she sighed, hoping to avoid another awkward situation with Nick when she got the chance to talk to him. Being as the day centered on him and Natalie, his time was occupied by many people.

"Hey there stranger," a familiar voice caught her attention. Turning around, Jess saw Nick in his tuxedo and a slight smile as he looked at Jess. His hair was a little ruffled from the long day of wedding activities and evening dancing.

"Hey Nick!" Jess said excitedly and nervously.

Nick closed the distance between the two and wrapped Jess in a slightly unsure hug. It caught Jess by surprise as she really didn't know what to expect. After relaxing for a moment she returned the hug, thankful for the familiar gesture.

"Well don't you look all fancy and handsome," she remarked honestly.

"I must say you look terrific yourself, Jess. I saw Phil and the kids earlier, who of course look adorable. I also heard you already got a chance to meet Natalie," Nick said with a mocking smile. This elicited an eye-roll from Jess.

"Seriously, why couldn't have I met her in the traditional way, like in a receiving line. Nooooo, it had to be in a bathroom stall while she's taking a wee."

Nick laughed at Jess' exasperation while taking a swig of beer. Jess couldn't help but join him in laughing off the absurd situation. They made small talk about the reception and their old friends until a comfortable silence fell between them. Eventually Nick became a little somber and piped up again.

"Jess, I need to…I owe you an apology for…the last time we met and the things I said, that wasn't right of me to unload on you like that and I'm sorry."

Jess gave Nick a knowing look. "I understand Nick. When things ended…it was rough, and you finally got an opportunity to speak your mind." Jess reached for one of Nick's hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I forgave you the moment you said it."

"I figured you would, but it still sucks that I acted that way. I mean I never thought we would see so little of each other after I moved out." Nick took another swig and tried to lighten the mood. "I mean, hell, I hardly ever get to see Schmidt and Winston much anymore, and I still live in the same city with those clowns."

"I guess that's life sometimes. People get busy, and life just keeps rolling on. It sucks it has to be that way." Jess couldn't help but cringe at how pessimistic she just sounded, but it was the truth. Some very important people from her life were here tonight, and she rarely saw them anymore.

"It sucks…but then it gets better." Nick quipped while smiling, which Jess returned.

"I must say Miller, I am thrilled to see that you are doing better."

"Yeah, yeah I am. I'm really glad you came Jess."

Natalie busted through the doors to the porch and the sounds of the dance music came through with her. "Husband, I love this song and you are going to come dance with me." After finishing her command, she returned back inside.

"I was beginning to feel like I was monopolizing your time," Jess said.

"I suppose that is my cue," Nick replied right before finishing his beer and returning inside.

…

Returning to their dinner table, Jess saw Phil trying to gather all of their kids' possessions. He noticed Jess approaching.

"I saw you chatting with him outside. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's great. You ready to head out?"

"I think that's a great idea, the kids are fading fast"

Collecting their things, Jess and Phil made their way to the main entrance with the kids in tow. On her way out she caught Nick's eye and gave him a genuine smile and a wave, which he acknowledged by raising his beer bottle and returning the smile.

She didn't know when or even if she would see him again, but she was thankful for coming tonight. It was definitely worth it.