Give Me a Year

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Spoilers: None
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Summary: Jack leaves Kabletown.
A/N: If season 6 ended like this, I would DIE. The ending is like a season 7-ish thing. Well, a little angsty. Might want a little tissues...or not. I don't really care. Okay, shutting up now. ON WITH THE STORY! Btw, pretend that the beautiful baby Liddy does not exist yet. This story's based on a HuffPost article Alec wrote and that one "The Office" episode when Michael leaves. Enjoy! Or not.

"Hello?"
"Mister Donaghy wants to see you immediately."
"And why?"
"Just do it!" Jonathan hissed.
Liz hung up the phone and went to Jack's office.
"What's with all the boxes?" she asked him.
She saw Jack looking at his BULB magazine and slowly putting it in the box.
Jack took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.
"Lemon, I'm going to Boston."
Liz laughed.
"Okay! That's a good one, buddy! Even if you were going to Boston for real, why are you packing your stuff?"
"I'm going to Boston to spend my life with Nancy. I've resigned from this company."
Liz gasped and put a hand over her heart.
"WHAT?! No, Jack! You can't do that!"
"And why not? Avery's not coming back and Kabletown's not getting any better."
"It's just that....well, I'll be....but what about--"
"I'm leaving on Friday. Don't worry. You still have plenty of time with me."
"That's only a day!"
Liz started to cry, so she hugged Jack.
"You can't leave," she told him.
Jack inhaled deeply.
"I have to. It's what's best for both of us."
Liz looked at him.
"What do you mean us?" she asked.
"The company and I. We're not meant to be."
Liz sniffled and wiped away her tears.
"You'll be missed, Donaghy. Now say goodbye to every one of the writers and Tracy and Jenna because you're leaving in two days. That's not a lot of time."
Jack chuckled.
"Will do, Lemon."
Liz smiled sadly at him for a few seconds, then she left his office crying.
Jack sat down on his chair and grabbed a piece of paper. He started writing down each and every one of the writer's names and put Lemon first.
Meanwhile in the writers' room, Liz couldn't get any work done. She thought about her life without Jack. She'll turn fat again. She'll date guys like Dennis. She'll eat Mexican junk food with bull sperm!
Liz put her head down and groaned.
"I can't let him leave," she told herself.
She couldn't get any sleep that night. Her past haunted her. She didn't want to become that Liz again. She wanted to be happy. Jack made her happy.
Jack couldn't get any sleep, either. Nancy was waiting for him in Boston and he was excited about that. But he was really sad that he was going to leave his co-workers in New York. They weren't just co-workers. They grew into a family; Jack, Liz, Jenna, Tracy and Kenneth.
He had to admit; he was going to miss Liz and Kenneth the most.
He slowly found himself drifting to sleep, imagining how his whole life would change in a matter of days.
**
The next morning, Jack went to work early and sat in Liz's chair at the big table.
About an hour later, the writers started coming in and taking their seats.
"Hey, Jack!" Lutz yelled.
Jack waved at him.
"What are you doing here?" Jenna asked him.
"I'm here to tell you all that I will be gone after Friday."
"Oh no! You're dying?" Tracy asked.
Jack shook his head.
"I'm going to Boston to spend the rest of my life with Nancy."
"Well, I hope you two are happy together," Liz said, before closing her door shut.
Just then, Jack's phone started to ring.
"Hello?"
"Jack! Hey, it's Nancy!"
"Oh, how are you, darling?"
"I'm doing great, Donaghy. I'm so excited to see you tonight."
Jack chuckled.
"As do I, Nancy."
"Hurry here! There's pie waiting."
Jack hung up. Yes, he is leaving today, not tomorrow or any other day.
He decided to skip Lemon and go with Jenna first.
"Hello, Jenna."
"Jack? What are you doing in my dressing room?"
"Remember how you told me you always wanted to throw water balloons at Frank because he didn't enjoy having sex with you?"
Jenna nodded and asked why.
"Well, before I leave, I would like you to do that. Here are your balloons."
Jenna's eyes lit up as she gladly took the bucket of water balloons.
"Thanks, Jack! You wanna help me throw them at him?"
Jack chuckled and agreed.
Jenna knocked on Frank's door.
"Oh, hey. What's up, Jenna?"
Jenna forcefully threw a water balloon at Frank's face.
"Take that!" she yelled.
Jack and Jenna both laughed at Frank.
"What the hell was that for?!" Frank asked.
"That's for not enjoying having sex with me, you freak!" she yelled.
Jack threw a water balloon at him.
"Now what was that for?!" Frank asked again.
"That...is for entertainment purposes. Now, have fun, Jenna. And if you need more water balloons, just call Jonathan."
"Thanks, Jack!"
Jack smiled and left the room.
Next off was Tracy.
"Jackie D! What up?" Tracy said as he greeted Jack.
"Hey, Tray. What do you say we hit a strip club?"
Tracy looked at Jack suspiciously.
"Are you okay? The women come to you, not the other way around, as far as I know. What, you got no lady?"
"No, it's not that at all. I have Nancy. I just want to do something nice for everybody in the building."
"Oh. In that case, GRIZZ! Get the Batmobile!"
**
Liz was still in her office. She had stopped crying and was trying to get some actual work done. Someone knocked on her door.
"Hey, can you get me a sweater?" Pete asked.
"It's July, Pete. What do you need a sweater for?"
"It's for one of the sketches...and because it's really cold in my office and Jack won't let me use the heater because of these so-called budget cuts."
Liz rolled her eyes and agreed.
"Thanks, Liz!" Pete said as he slammed the door.
Liz sighed and grabbed her bag. She went out to get Pete a jacket and to get some lunch.
"Did you see that black stripper with blue eyes like yours?" Tracy asked.
"I believe they're called contacts, Tracy," Jack explained.
"Whoa. Why so down? Yeah, I have to say that now since the Joker don't want me using his catchphrase."
"No, no. I had fun. It's just--It's going to be different in Boston."
"Listen, Jackie D. Do you love this Nancy Donovan as much as you love your job?"
"I love her more than that, Tray. I haven't felt this way ever since C.C."
"Who's C.C.?"
"The point is, I want to move there with her, but it's going to take a while to get adjusted."
"Well, hey. It took you a while to get adjusted to Liz Lemon, but you two turned out alright."
"Speaking of Lemon, where is she?"
Tracy shrugged.
"I have to say goodbye to her," he said.
Jack looked for Liz everywhere, but couldn't find her. He decided to go to the other writers.
"Ugh, what does Pete like anyway?" Liz asked herself.
She looked at sweater after sweater, but decided it was no use. She got the cheapest one and exited the store.
Liz ordered a sandwich for lunch and spent about half an hour eating. Then, she went to watch Larry Crowne.
After all those writers, Jack visited Kenneth last.
"Mister Donaghy, I heard you were moving," Kenneth said.
Jack nodded.
"Yes, I am, Kenneth. Today, actually."
Kenneth gasped.
"Sir! You said you were leaving tomorrow! I had lunch plans for us."
Jack sighed.
"I'm sorry. Nancy wants me there as soon as possible."
"Have you said goodbye to everyone?" Kenneth asked, his eyes welling up.
"Ye--No. Not Lemon. I've been trying to look for her all day, but I couldn't find her."
Kenneth sniffled.
"I guess I'll see you later, Mister Donaghy."
Jack looked for Lemon one last time. His flight was about to leave in three hours and he needed to get there as soon as possible.
"Pete, any word on Lemon?"
Pete shook his head.
"Oh. Alright, then. I will see you guys later," Jack said to the writers, Tracy, Jenna and Kenneth.
Kenneth shook his head. He knew he should tell everyone, but he had promised Jack he wouldn't.
"You were a great boss, sir!" Kenneth yelled.
**
Jack arrived at the airport a few minutes later. He went through the security center and walked to his station.
"Jack!" someone called out.
He turned around and saw Liz.
She hugged him for so long as if she didn't want to let go.
"Why? You should've told me you were leaving today."
Jack saw that Liz was crying, so he wiped away her tears.
"You seemed to be avoiding me all day. I thought that--"
"No. The only reason I was doing that was because I wasn't ready to let you go."
Jack realized that he was starting to cry as well.
"Jack," Liz whispered.
"Yes?"
"You're crying, too."
They chuckled before they hugged one last time.
"You can't leave, Jack," Liz said.
"I have to. It's what's best for me."
"Well, how am I going to--"
"You can always call me. And there's always iChat if you need to see my face," Jack said.
Liz chuckled.
Jack smiled and turned to leave.
"Goodbye, Lemon."
"Wait!"
Liz ran up to him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
She nodded to herself and started to cry.
"Bye, Jack," she said. It was like a whisper, like she didn't want to hear herself saying those words.
Liz walked away and went back to the building.
Jack wanted to run to her and asked what just happened, but it was too late.
"Flight 109 to Boston is now boarding. Flight 109 to Boston."
Jack sighed and went to his plane.
**
After work that day, Liz just cried and cried. She cried so hard that she felt like her eyes were about to go dry. She realized that she had never cried like this before, especially even about a man who she wasn't even romantically involved with.
Should she call Jack or would that seem too desperate? Should she just iChat with him? No. That would be stupid since he would see her crying and she would cry even more just seeing his face.
Yes, she had loved Jack. She still does. But along the way, that friendship love turned into something romantic, but died. She's not sure whether she loves him as more than a friend or she just likes him for always being there for her. He was her go-to guy and now she has no one.
Someone knocked on her door.
"It's open," she weakly yelled.
It was Jenna.
"Jenna, wh--"
"Nope. Wipe those tears off of you. NOW."
"But--"
"No buts! We are going to have some quality time to help you forget about Jack, okay?"
Liz started crying again.
"Don't mention him!" she said.
"Oops. Sorry."
"What do you plan on doing this weekend anyway?"
"Just crawl at a corner in a fetal position and cry."
Jenna sighed.
"Liz! Come on! Live a little!"
"I don't wanna," she said.
Oh, boy. This was going to be tough.

**[PART TWO!PART TWO!PART TWO!]**

Wow. Liz couldn't believe it. Had it actually been a whole year since Jack left? Yes, she had lived 365 full days with no help from Jack at all. Well, some help. They called each other on the weekends and iChatted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They never talked about their personal lives, though. If they did, it was very brief and gave little information. Instead, they talked about their past almost as if it were like yesterday. He helped her with some of the sketches and she helped him on how to make a sandwich.
Jack once asked her if she was in a relationship, but she quickly responded "no." Even though she had coped and adjusted to life without Jack, she couldn't go to another date because she usually told Jack about it the next day in his office. He doesn't have an office anymore (in New York, at least) which is why they don't talk about their relationships anymore.
After Liz got home from work that day, she ate a chicken soufflé that she ordered from this very fancy restaurant. She thought she saw Josh Duhamel there, but it turned out to be a very handsome homeless guy.
She was watching the news when a certain someone had a segment on there.
"And on the phone now is Jack Donaghy, former GE executive. How are you, Jack?"
"I'm doing well, Piers. How about yourself?"
"Splendid. What can you say about this recent writer's strike?"
Liz's eyes were glued to the television now.
"You know, I have a friend who's actually a writer. I haven't seen her in a year, but what I have to say is that writers are tough. They won't stop until they get what they want, even if that means missing their favorite television show. It might be days until they give up. I mean, I saw them marching around the building the other day."
"Thank you, Jack."
"My pleasure."
"Up next..."
Hang on. The writer's strike was only at Rockefeller Plaza and no place else. Was...? No, he was in Boston with Nancy. He can't be in New York...can he?
The next morning, Liz woke up smelling syrup. Was someone making pancakes? Or was it Northrax? Liz closed her eyes and counted to ten. She opened her eyes and realized she wasn't dead.
She smiled to herself. So, was someone making pancakes?
She went to her kitchen and found a fresh batch of pancakes covered with maple syrup on top. There was a fork already there and a bouquet of roses was on her seat.
"Who did this?" she asked herself.
She ate her breakfast and went to the bathroom to freshen herself up. Oddly, she found a rose on her sink.
"Alright. Who are you?"
No one answered.
Liz sighed and decided to ask that question at work.
She got dressed and went back to her kitchen to get a snack. She couldn't believe what she saw when she looked in the pantry.
One whole stack of Sabor De Soledad. No. Way.
She looked in her fridge and found fresh vegetables and in her freezer, bucketloads of ice cream.
Did a shelter come here in the middle of the night to give her food?
She went to her office at work and she saw him. Then, it struck her. He was the one who cooked her the pancakes. He was the one that gave her all those food. He was the one who gave her roses. Most importantly, he was Jack. She saw him wearing a blue polo shirt and khakis, typing something on her laptop.
Liz's jaw dropped as Jack smiled and went up to her.
"Hello, Elizabeth."
Liz squealed and hugged him.
"Jack!!!!!!!!!"
He chuckled.
"Wow. Look at you, Lemon. You've lost weight."
Liz smiled.
"Thanks! So have you. You look good."
"Anything to say about my hair?"
"It fits you. I'm actually glad you stopped dying it. Salt-and-pepper matches you."
"How's the people?"
Liz sighed and sat down.
"Let's see. Kenneth took your place."
Jack gasped.
"I knew that day would come," he said.
Liz laughed.
"Yeah. Tracy became mayor of New York for a week...until he resigned and went totaled exotic reptiles instead."
"What laws did he pass?"
"Umm...Strip Poker Tuesday."
Jack laughed.
"Oh, um, Jenna has her own talk show now. It's called  'Jenna!' with an exclamation point because she wanted to be better than Oprah."
"What about you?"
"Well, as you can tell, TGS got cancelled. I'm now the head writer for Parks and Recreation."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" he said, smiling.
"Yeah, it's alright. Amy Poehler and I are starting to become friends."
Jack laughed.
"What about Toofer and them?"
"They're in this reality show called 'Writers Unite' and it features former writers for tv shows and they tell their stories."
"And Cerie?"
"She's a model now. She still comes here every day, though. Poor girl still thinks she's eighteen."
"And Pete?"
"Oh. Pete's a producer for Parks and Rec. He's still there in his office."
"It's nice to know some things haven't changed."
Liz sighed.
"Yeah. But a lot changes in a year, you know?"
Jack nodded.
"What about you? How are things going with you and Nancy?"
Jack scoffed.
"Nancy and I broke up six months ago. It wasn't working AT ALL. It turns out, she was having a relationship with Steve Carell and I didn't even know. She said she was going to break up with him, though. Something about 'Crazy, Stupid Love,' she said. I assumed that's how she felt. Anyway, it felt like she was trying to be me. You know, Avery and Nancy two years ago? Yeah. I'm the Nancy in this one. I'm the childhood friend but Steve is the  Avery that won because he's the younger one."
Liz patted Jack on the back as they walked to his old office.
"Aw. It's okay, buddy. There'll be other girls out there."
Jack kneeled down on one knee and held Liz's hand.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Lemon, do you want to go to dinner with me tonight?"
Liz laughed nervously.
"Oh, I thought you were going to--cuz I was all ready to, like--Yeah, sure. I'll go to dinner with you. Sounds fun."
They arrived at his old office.
"Mister Donaghy, is that you?" Jonathan called out.
"Jonathan! How are you, mister?"
Jonathan's eyes widened as he ran up to hug Jack.
"How's Kenneth? Has he been a good boss?"
Jonathan cleared his throat.
"He made me wear a clown hat for six months, sir. Would you like to have a very friendly and business-full dinner with me, sir?"
"Hey!" Liz yelled. "He's taken!"
Jack's eyebrows were raised.
"Who am I taken by, Lemon?" he asked, having a sly grin on his face.
Liz smiled embarrassingly.
"Oh, shut up," she said, before kissing him.
"Now that's a first," Jack said after they pulled away.
Jonathan got Kenneth on the phone and told him that he had some visitors waiting for him.
Kenneth came out of the door, wearing a gray suit with a red tie.
"Mister Donaghy? Miss Lemon? What are you two doing here?"
"Just visiting you, Kenneth. I'm glad you have taken my place. Kabletown sure made a good decision."
Kenneth chuckled.
"Thank you, sir."
"Kenneth? Why don't you call everyone by their first name? You're not a page anymore."
"Respect, Miss Lemon. I've been a page for so long that I've gotten used to it."
Liz chuckled.
"Well, I should get going. Jack and I have some lunch plans."
"I thought we agreed on dinner," he said.
"Hey, you're the rich one! I'm just the girl who's getting free meals."
Jack chuckled.
"You kiss well, you know that?"
"I doubt it."
"Well, I'll be the judge of that."

END