This is basically just how I would have liked to have seen the scene in "Winston's Birthday" where Bob is getting all up on Jess about Nick not being good enough for her go. Like, no, that pissed me off. Nick is Nick and he's awesome and hot and he deserves Jess damnit! He does!

Anyway, so this is just my take on how the scene should have gone. How I would have liked for it to have gone.

Full disclosure: I'm not really fair to Bob or his character here, and that is mainly because I don't have a good feel for his character quite yet, and partially because I was really mad at him when I wrote this. And there also may or may not be some OOC-ness on Jess and Nick's parts, but that can't be helped. Also, the really funny Winston cake part isn't mentioned here because I wasn't sure how to work that in. So, yeah, you have been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl. When you own things like New Girl, you tend to have money lying around to hire someone to force Jake Johnson to divorce his wife and marry Zooey Deschanel instead, making your OTP canon in reality, which is like a fuck you to the show because I don't have to put up with your emotion abuse to get my Ness fix, all I have to do is buy a tabloid, bitches! But, ah, that's yet to happen, so, you know... I probably don't own it. Probably.


Fic:

"Dad, there is nothing wrong with Nick. You don't even know him!" Jess insisted, reaching her hand out to grab Nick's, tight and firm. Her dad's eyes widened slightly in surprise and anger, indignant at the spectacle of their fingers intertwining and Nick stepping closer to her boldly, giving her a half-hug, his eyes betraying more emotion than his mouth ever would.

Bob shook his head, however, not quite convinced.

"I do know him. You're not your father," he began, locking eyes with Nick. Nick's face contorted into a questioning, curious look. Where was he – "You're me. And I'm not good enough for my little girl." He finished, watching Nick's face fall. His mouth opened and closed like one of the fish he so hated before he took in his bottom lip, eyes lost to the floor. He was right. Nick wasn't good enough for Jess. Not by a long shot.

With a look of resignation, Nick nodded his head slightly and tried to loosen his hand from Jess'. He needed to go. He just… he needed to be alone with his thoughts and with some paper and he just…

"No! Nick." Jess cried, frantic as she tightened her grip on his hand and brought her free one to wretch his chin up, making him look at her with his sad, defeated eyes. "Don't listen to my dad. You are good enough for me. You are." She insisted as he shook his head. He looked more vulnerable and broken than she had ever seen him. Worse than after Caroline had dumped him, worse than when he thought he had cancer, worse than when his own father had died.

It occurred to Jess then that Nick might be falling in love with her, if he wasn't there already. And to hear her father confirming his own worst fears… Where would that leave him? Where would that leave them? "You're good enough for me." She whispered again, resting her forehead against Nick's drooping one. He shook his head once more, eyes moist as one of his hands came up to stroke her cheek. At least he wasn't walking away from her, she told herself as his mouth sat mere inches away from hers. At least he was hearing her out.

She wondered if he was going to kiss her again just before he moved his lips to her ear, crushing that hope for the time being. Instead, he whispered just loud enough for her and Bob to hear over the deathly silence of the loft, "I'm not, Jess. I'll never be good enough for you. Never. Your dad's right; you could do so much better than me. So much better." He finished with a sigh, pulling back in defeat.

Afraid Nick was going to try to walk off again, she grabbed his hand once more. What did she have to do to convince him he was good enough for her, for any woman that he wanted? She turned her wide, wet eyes to her father then, who stood with his arms crossed, watching the pair intently. He was her father; she loved him, but did have to try to ruin the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world? The worst part was that she wasn't sure if he was trying to ruin it, or just trying to make Nick realize he would have to work hard to get and keep her, though he wouldn't. Not really. Either way, to get anything through Nick's thick skull, she would have to reason with her dad.

Yeah, like it was ever that simple.

"Dad, Nick is a great guy." The pleading tone she had taken on made her voice shake ever so slightly, but she hoped that helped her case. "And I really like him. In fact, I think…" she paused to swallow, her rant allowing for more honesty than she had originally thought to let it. "I think I'm falling in love with him," she admitted, Nick's hitched breath on her neck sending a shiver down her spine. "And I like that! I want to love him, dad; he's an amazing guy. And the fact that he's like you? That just convinces me more that I want to be with him – you know how they say people always wind up marrying their parents." She finished in a rather lackluster tone, losing her fire by the end as Nick's hand crept up her neck and cupped it, leaning towards her affectionately as thanks and distracting her so.

"But, – " her father began, scowling at their proximity.

"No buts, Dad," she said sternly, looking away from Nick to consider her father. "I want to be with Nick, and you're just going to have to deal with it." She finished, getting rather fed up with having to defend her choice in men. If she recalled correctly, he'd had little problems with Spencer, and they all knew how well that turned out. But here he was, objecting to a guy who made her happy? How backwards could things get? "Now, if you'll excuse us," she grabbed Nick's hand and turned slightly, still addressing her silent, pensive father. "Nick and I are going to go christen my bed the S.S. Ness. And yes, I said Ness. I combined our names because we are a couple, damnit, and it was either that or Jick and I like Ness better! Let's go, Nick!" she finished, yanking him towards her bedroom rather aggressively.

The implications of her words snapped Bob out of his silence, he could see that his daughter wanted very much to be with this man, but he would be lying if he said he was okay with them having sex again. Especially with him in the apartment. Futilely, he yelled out at Nick's back, hoping he would actually listen to him but knowing he would not, "You better not have sex with my daughter!"

Just before Jess' door clicked shut, Nick looked over his shoulder with a half-smile, his mood improving tenfold with each step Jess took towards her room, towards her bed. "I don't think I have much say in the matter." He admitted just before the door closed shut behind him.

With a sigh, Bob looked around the empty room for where he had left his suitcase. If that was the way things were going to be around here, perhaps he would be better off just staying at a hotel until the wedding was over and done with.

Fin.


Jess bringing Ness into the mix had to be done. That was almost my entire reason for writing this, I'm not gonna lie. Deal with it.

Always,
Hisa-Ai.