Jeff and Annie were holed up in the nurse's office. They hadn't seen anyone since Leonard which made them believe that it was getting toward the end of the game. Annie had Jeff sitting on a metal table while she searched the cabinets for anything to help with his bleeding nose.
"You sure all these pills in here won't make you relapse?" Jeff asked.
"Of course not," Annie replied. "I've been clean for a long while now."
"Good. I wouldn't want a druggie for my doctor, no matter how pretty she is." Jeff pressed his lips shut, but it was too late. He already let it slip out.
Annie quickly turned to face him. "Did you just call me pretty?"
Jeff was at a loss for words. "I, um, yes. All dressed up like that, you're stunning. I won't lie. I think you're beautiful."
Annie looked to the floor, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She looked back up at him. "What does that say about me when I'm not dressed up?"
"Annie, you always look pretty." Jeff was taken aback for a moment. "You set me up, didn't you?"
Annie giggled. "Thank you, Jeff. You look nice too." She pulled some paper towels from the roll on the counter and walked over to Jeff.
"Have you done this before?"
"Mended a bloody nose? Plenty of times," she replied. "A symptom from one of my medications in high school was a bloody nose."
"You must be an expert at it then," he laughed.
Annie pressed the paper towel against his nose harshly.
"Ow! Sorry," Jeff apologized. "I'll try not to make fun of your addiction anymore."
"We both know that's not going to happen." She lightly dabbed the blood coming from his nose with the paper towels.
"You're probably right." Jeff tried to get a glance at his nose. "How is it?"
"It's almost done bleeding. That's a good sign."
"I would think so," he agreed. "I wonder where everyone is. Pierce is probably dead by now."
"Jeff! Don't say that."
"It's a game, Annie. He's not actually dead."
"But he's old. You never know when he's going to go. Don't joke about that."
"Okay. I'm sorry. But let me just say, I'm glad I got stuck with you."
"You are?"
"What knight doesn't want to be with the princess? Although, I think I'm supposed to save you. Since you're not a damsel in distress, we won't be able to work that one out. You've been saving me more than I you."
Annie giggled. "Maybe you should be the one wearing this then." She took off her silver crown with her free hand and placed it on Jeff's head.
"Please take that off of me."
Annie burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Besides the princess crown on your head? I was just imagining the dean walking in."
Jeff allowed for a chuckle. "He'd probably love it."
"Or if Pierce walked in."
"Gay," Jeff mimicked in his impression of Pierce.
Annie giggled again, moving a strand of hair behind her ear.
Jeff took off her crown from his head and placed it beside him with his sword.
She wiped the remaining blood away. "There! All better," she said chipperly.
Before she could pull her hand away too far from his nose, Jeff grabbed her wrist. The bloody paper towel floated to the floor. Jeff's eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips and back. Annie gazed down at his parting lips. She opened hers ever so slightly as she leaned in slowly. Jeff titled his head just enough for the perfect fit. Their eyes closed in unison and their lips pressed together in passion. Annie and Jeff's fingers intertwined. Jeff brought up his other hand and slid it to her cheek. Annie took her free hand and put it at his neck. They pulled back for air, their lips falling from each other's.
"Milady," Jeff said, implying a question to try again.
"Milord," Annie replied.
Jeff moved his hand from her cheek. He grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. Annie guided her hand from the side of Jeff's neck to the back of his neck, playing with tiny pieces of hair where his hairline stopped mid-neck. Their lips collided. Parting their lips, they moved with the kiss. Jeff pulled back and held up a hand.
"What's wrong?" Annie asked.
"I'm not going to let happen with Britta and me happen between the two of us."
"No, Jeff, I know. I wouldn't allow that." Annie let her hand drop from behind his neck. "You know, you don't always have to compare me to Britta."
"I know that. I do it because . . . I feel like there's a connection between her and me, but there's also one between you and me. I really like you, Annie, but are we right for each other? Britta and I are the type that would end up together. Now, I'm not saving that would happen. But I don't deserve you. I don't deserve someone as good as you. You don't deserve me. You deserve a guy better than me. We aren't right for each other, Annie. I'm not your Prince Charming."
"You're not," Annie agreed, holding onto his hand. "But today, I'm your princess. You're my knight in shining armor."
"This is a game, Annie. It's not real life."
"We can pretend." Annie brought her finger up to Jeff's lips, so he would be quiet. "Pretend I'm Sleeping Beauty." She brought her hand back down to her side and closed her eyes as she pursed her lips.
Jeff shook his head and smiled. He leaned in, kissing her romantically. He slowly pulled away. "Now wake up, Annie," he said sweetly, with a deeper meaning behind the words. She couldn't go through life believing she would end up with Jeff. There was no telling what would happen.
As Annie started to give a pouty face, Jeff spoke, "We'd better go." It was starting to feel awkward, and he didn't want the awkwardness to last. He picked up Annie's tiara and placed it atop her head. "There you go, Milady," he smiled.
Annie gave a small sigh, but smiled back. "Thank you, Milord." She curtsied, and then grabbed Jeff's sword by the hilt, sliding it off the table. Jeff's eyes widened. Annie was taken aback as she carried the sword. "You don't think I'd turn on you like that, do you, Jeff?"
Jeff shrugged. "Britta did."
"We're not all the same." She handed Jeff his plastic sword.
Jeff hopped off the table and opened the door that led into the hallway. Just before stepping out, the dean ran into Jeff's arms. Jeff pushed him away, back into the hall.
"Jeffery!" he exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you're alive."
"Can't say the same for you," Jeff mumbled, but then went back to his normal volume of speaking, "Does anyone not take this game seriously? Nobody is dying!"
"I think we should team up," the dean suggested. "I'm playing this time. There's a television series only available on Hulu about a certain breed of dogs that I'm dying to watch. I don't have any extra money to buy the seasons myself."
"Too busy buying your outfits?" Jeff said under his breath.
"What do you say, Jeffery? Are we teaming up?"
"There's only room enough for two right now," Jeff replied.
Pelton looked at Annie. "You heard him. Scram." He shoed her away.
"Uh!" Annie exclaimed.
"Sorry, dean. I meant you," Jeff cleared up. "It's only Annie and me right now."
Annie tried hiding a smile.
"I'm disappointed in you," Pelton said.
"That doesn't bother me." Jeff pondered. "What would happen if I killed you?"
"Well, I'd imagine the police would come and -"
"Fake killed you."
"Oh," the dean chuckled. "I'd go into my office to hide until the game ended. It's gone a bit overboard too."
"Oh good." Jeff stabbed the dean at his chest, and then lowered his sword.
"Jeffery! How could you?" Dean Pelton cried as he held to his chest and sunk to the floor.
"Let's go Annie," Jeff took her hand. "We have a war to win."
Abed ran toward the quad, gazing out past the mess that had been created by the Human Beings. It looked like it had been deserted. Abed was reminded of an apocalyptic movie, noticing there was no evidence of anyone other than him being alive, but surely there were others because the game was still going on.
Coming out of some bushes, Fat Neil jumped in front of Abed, carrying an axe. He held it powerfully.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn't like Dungeons and Dragons," Abed told him. "It's not down to the roll of a die. It's about how you wield your weapon."
"I don't see you with a weapon," Fat Neil replied, looking Abed over.
"I don't need one. I have fire and impenetrable scales." Abed took a breath, and blew it out at Fat Neil.
Fat Neil ducked, and as soon as he was out of breath, he stood up and swung at Abed's head. Abed squeezed his fists together, shutting his eyes tight. Then he heard a war cry, and he opened his eyes as Shirley's sword blocked Fat Neil's blow. She rotated her sword with Fat Neil's, causing his sword to spin out of his hands and fly into the air. Shirley reached up and caught his sword. She crossed the swords at his neck. "You're dead, Neil," she told him.
Just after he was on his way from the battle, Vicki popped out and stabbed Shirley in her back several times with two plastic daggers.
"This is stupid!" Shirley threw her swords to the ground and stomped off. "TV is one of the only things that calms my kids down."
Vicki turned to see Abed standing defenseless. She threw one dagger at him, to which he ducked, rolling toward the two swords Shirley had dropped. He grabbed them in mid roll and once on his back, he pierced the swords up, sticking Vicki in the stomach.
A crackling sound came over the loud speakers. "I am Chang. This war is over. I have won." A bunch of evil laughter followed, and the loud speakers shut off.
Abed got up and ran toward the quad with both swords slicing through air as he dashed. There wasn't much time. There were only a few players left in the game. Things had gotten quiet. He needed Excalibur to win. That was the only thing that could save him.
There it was. A stone, though it looked plastic, with a sword stuck in it. Only the hilt and part of the blade were visible.
Abed approached the sword. He took a deep breath before touching it.
"Abed?" the dean's voice came. "What are you doing?"
Abed turned, pointing the tip of each sword at Dean Pelton. "Are you still in the game?"
"No. I thought it was over," Pelton replied, backing away from the swords. "I heard Chang say it was over. He's the victor."
Abed lowered the swords. "You do realize he's crazy, right?"
The dean bobbed his head back and forth, thinking over previous circumstances. "We all have our flaws."
"The game isn't over, dean." Abed tossed the swords to the side. He turned, getting ready to pull Excalibur from its longtime shelter.
"That's only a prop, Abed."
Abed grabbed the hilt. "This is my victory."
"Trust me. I've tried prying it out. It's glued or something."
Abed, with ease, lifted the sword out of the plastic rock and held it above his head with a smile bigger than he'd ever smiled before.
"How did that work?" Dean Pelton asked, eying the wooden sword.
"Excalibur can only be taken from the stone by someone with wisdom."
"Should have given me a try." Chang stepped into the quad, two yards away from Abed and Pelton. He held his sword on display. The metal shined in the sunlight.
"Chang has a real sword?" Pelton asked, terrified. "Where's Jeffery? He needs to protect me."
"I haven't used it on anyone!" Chang rolled his eyes. "It's just a scare tactic. Obviously it won't work on Abed."
"Where did you even find that?" the dean asked.
"Time to win this thing," Chang said, ignoring the question.
The dean ran off scared just before Chang stuck the sharpest part of the blade into the dirt. He pulled back his evil scientist jacket and revealed a thick plastic sword. "I found this sword," Chang said. "It will not break. Even your wooden sword won't harm it."
"Let's see," Abed said, taking his stance for the attack.