What's Your Drink, Pumpkin?

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Spoilers: None
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Summary: Jack takes Liz out for a drink. Title is based on what Archie wrote in Brett's book in "Suburban Girl."
A/N: I love that movie to death. Sometimes I think of it as my life story, but then again, I don't. The movie makes me cry SO MUCH!

"Hey, Liz. They're out of Cheetos...so I think I'll just head home."
"What? Frank, you can't do that! I am NOT staying here to do all these re-writes!"
"Save that for the honeymoon."
"What honeymoon?!"
"Hey, I ask the questions around here. Not you. I'll just...come here whenever."
"Frank! Come on! You stupid fungdark."
Frank waved goodbye at her.
Just as Frank left, Jack came in the writers' room.
"Can you fire Frank?" Liz asked.
"I don't have to. You can do that yourself. You're their boss after all."
"Yeah. But I don't like firing people."
"Why? It's the beauty of being a boss."
Liz chuckled.
"So, are you staying here all night to get some re-writes done?"
Liz rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. I can do them tomorrow. There's no way in hell that I'm staying up for work. Hey, can you sign my book?"
Jack laughed.
"You actually bought my book?" he asked.
"No, you fungdark. You gave it to me yesterday. I want you to sign it because I can tell my children or grandchildren that I was best friends with the legendary John Francis Donaghy."
"And once married, don't forget that. That'll give you a lot of stories to tell," Jack said.
Liz handed him the book and Jack signed it.
"To Elizabeth Lemon, my ex-wife who I loved for some brief seconds and my best friend."
Liz chuckled as Jack gave the book back to him. On the corner of the page, he wrote, "What's your drink, pumpkin?"
Jack looked at her as she was reading it.
"You want to go to a bar?" she asked him.
"No, of course not. I have wine at my house. We can grab some and take them to the park while I take Liddy to her evening stroll."
Liz smiled.
"Sounds good to me," she said, as she threw the re-writes in the air.
Jack took her to his apartment where she chose what drink she wanted. After having so many choices, she just told Jack that she'll have what he's having.
"Are you sure, Lemon? My drink's pretty strong," he said.
"I don't care. If anything, just give me something so strong that I'll fall in love with the first man I see. Do you have that?"
Jack sighed.
"I'll look."
Liz walked to where Liddy's crib was and she started talking to her.
"Hi, Liddy! It's your Auntie Lizzy! You were named after me, you know? Well, your middle name, at least."
Liddy smiled as Liz picked her up and carried her.
"Who's a good baby? Who's a good baby?" Liz said, in her baby-cooing voice.
"I think she gets it, Lemon. No need to scare her," Jack said from the kitchen.
"Hey! She needs some praise. She didn't get that from you or Avery."
Jack laughed.
"Do you think you can stop by Saturday morning to go with Liddy and me to see Winnie-the-Pooh?"
Liz gasped.
"Do I get in for free?" she asked.
Jack nodded.
"Oh my gosh! I love Winnie-the-Pooh! I will so be there, Jack."
Jack smiled as he gave her the drink.
"See you then. Now, come on. Put Liddy in the stroller and let's take a walk in the park."
"Hang on. What are we going to do with the glasses after we're done?"
"Put them in the trash can. It's not like they're my only wine glasses, Lemon."
Liz snorted as she agreed.
She put Liddy in the stroller and they walked to the park.
"Proximity without intimacy," Jack said as they arrived at the park.
"Excuse me?" Liz asked.
"A wise man told me that that was his definition of hell."
"What, closeness without romance?"
Jack nodded.
Liz laughed.
"That's not true. Wow, that drink really worked. That was only one, right?"
Jack nodded.
"Really? That felt like two," she said.
Liddy began crying.
"Oh, no. I never know what to do whenever she starts to cry."
"Don't worry, Jack. I can handle this."
Liz got Liddy out of the stroller and carried her. She was gently rocking the baby to sleep. Soon enough, she started to fall asleep.
"That's a good baby," Liz said as she put her back in the stroller.
Jack roared in laughter.
"That is amazing! How did you do that?" he asked.
"I have my ways."
They talked and talked for what seemed like hours, but but no one bothered to look at the time until later on.
"Yikes! Do you know that it's two in the morning?" Liz asked.
Jack's eyes widened.
"We need to take you home."
Liz bit her lip and chuckled nervously.
"Just a few problems. I'm really tired...and I left my key in my office back at work. Can I stay with you until tomorrow morning?"
Jack smiled.
"Be our guest."
When they got home, Jack was making the bed and getting one of the toothbrushes he bought in case there were guests.
"Now, the bed is more comfortable than you think. There's a toothbrush here in case you need it and I'll get you--"
Jack saw that Liz fell asleep on his bed with Liddy near her.
He smiled as he took Liddy and put her back in the crib and went to sleep on the other side of the bed.
"Good night, Pumpkin."
**
The next morning, Liz woke up to the sound of Jack making a phone call. He seemed pretty into the call, so Liz guessed that it was probably a business call. He looked different, though. He was still wearing the blue dress shirt and everything, but there was something different about it. Some buttons were popped, his tie was disheveled and his hair was a mess.
"Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate that. I will see you at the business meeting this afternoon," Jack said.
He hung up and saw that Liz was awake.
"Hey, you're up early," he said.
Liz chuckled.
"Let's just say that someone's bed was really comfortable and it gave me the best sleepy-time of my life."
Jack laughed.
"Did you not change into sleeping clothes after we got here?" she asked him.
"I would say the same about you, but you don't live here."
Liz chuckled.
"No, I was so tired from last night that I literally just fell on the bed," he said.
"Funny story, I think I did the same."
Jack chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"Alright. Let's get some breakfast so we can go to work."
Liz groaned.
"I don't want to go to work yet. You can go whenever you want. Can you tell Pete I'll be coming in late?"
"What if he asks why?" Jack asked.
"Tell him that I'm tired and that I'm arriving whenever you are."
Jack chuckled.
"Sounds good enough," he said.
"Meanwhile, I'll call Jenna. She's probably already looking for me."
Jack gave her a thumbs-up as he dialed Pete's number.
"TGS, this is Pete Hornberger speaking. How may I help you?"
"Pete, it's Jack. Lemon's coming in a little late today."
"Oh my God, why? Is she sick?"
"No. She's doing perfectly well. She's just really tired since she spent the night with me last night, so she'll be arriving about the same time I might be coming in."
"And what time is that?"
Jack chuckled.
"Pete, I'm your boss. I can come in whenever I want to. I could probably be on may way now or I could possibly arrive there in two to three hours."
"Jack, you can't do that! The writers are doing nothing!"
"Again, I'm your boss. You're their boss, so you can fire them."
Pete groaned.
"Fine. I'll see you and Liz later."
Jack hung up.
"The Girlie Show, this is Jenna Maroney speaking. I'm blond and yes, I am twenty-nine. How may I help you?"
Liz scoffed.
"Jenna, it's Liz."
"Oh, hey Liz! Where are you anyway?"
"I'm coming in late," she said.
"Why?" Jenna asked.
"I was with Jack all night and I don't know how long I stayed up with him, but now I'm tired. My legs are sore and I can't walk. So, I'll just be arriving whenever Jack does, okay?"
Jenna burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! Oh my God. Nice one, Liz. Now tell me, where are you really at? Come on, did Jack do you that hard?"
Liz rolled her eyes.
"Jack, explain to Jenna where I was last night," she said as she gave him her phone.
Jack sighed.
"Jenna, Elizabeth was with me last night and I can tell you right now that she is telling the truth. We stayed up until two in the morning or something. She spent the night at my house and she's really tired. So, we'll be there in a few hours."
Jenna smirked.
"I gotcha," Jenna said as she hung up.
"Are your legs really sore?" he asked Liz.
Liz nodded.
"I didn't know we walked two miles last night," she said.
"Well, of course. It was Central Park after all. You want me to give you a massage?"
Liz thought about it for a moment.
"Nah, I'm good. Let's go to your gym room."
"You want to exercise with sore legs?"
"Feel the burn!" she said.
Jack laughed.
"Okay, Lemon. By the way, you are responsible for buying your own work-out clothes."
Liz tried to explain, but Jack stopped her.
"I'm kidding. I'll get Jonathan to buy you some and he'll deliver it straight here."
"That'll add to his list of why he hates me."
Jack smirked.
"We'll see, Lemon."
About half an hour later, someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get it, Jack. It's probably Jonathan," Liz said.
Sure enough, it was Jonathan and he didn't look too happy. He brought Liz some work-out clothes that Jack ordered him to buy, a water bottle and a tennis racket. He put on a fake but painful smile.
"Here you go, Miss Lemon," he said.
Liz chuckled.
"Thank you, Jonathan. Oh, by the way, tell Jenna that I'll be 'burning some calories' with Jack," Liz said before shutting the door in front of him.
Jonathan's jaw dropped.
Meanwhile Liz went to the bathroom to put on her work-out clothes.
"Dang. These pants hug my butt TIGHT!" she yelled.
Jack laughed.
"How's it going over there, Lemon?" he asked.
"Great! One question, though. Why'd you let him buy me a work-out bra?"
Jack scoffed.
"Come on, Lemon. You don't wear a tee-shirt to work-out."
"What about a--"
"No. Not a spaghetti strap either. Tie your hair and put on your contacts...and tie your shoes."
"How did you even know I had my contacts in my bag?" he asked.
"I just can, Lemon. Plus, I got Jonathan to get you an extra pack."
Liz rolled her eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes," he said.
"How did you--"
"Just get out here so I can see you!"
"You sound like my mother when I was trying out my prom dress," Liz joked.
"You didn't go to prom."
Liz came out of the restroom and turned around.
"Yay. Lemon wore her work-out clothes. How do I look?" she asked him.
Jack gasped.
"My, my. Lemon, you look like a woman who actually wants to work-out."
Liz smirked.
"I take that as a compliment."
"As well you should. Now, onward to the gym room!"
Jack walked her to the room and as soon as they got there, Liz got on the treadmill.
"Come on! Get on the other one, Jack!" Liz said.
Liz put her earphones on as she was on the treadmill. Jack, on the other hand, flipped the channel to Fox News.
Thirty minutes into the workout, Liz took her earphones off, shut the treadmill down, and grabbed her water bottle.
"You okay?" Jack asked her.
Liz nodded.
"Why don't we just go running for real? At Central Park?"
"We need to get to work. It's already noon."
"Oh."
Jack saw that Liz looked sad, so he decided to make her happy by saying that they could have a morning jog on Sunday.
Liz smiled.
"Really? That'd be great," she said.
"It's a jog, then. So, here's the plan for today. We leave in an hour, so you need to take a quick shower. We'll get fast-food for lunch at one of your favorite McDonalds or Burger King to-go. Then, we go our normal ways. If you still can't find your key, you're welcome to stay with me since we have tickets to see Winnie-the-Pooh tomorrow. Got it?"
Liz nodded.
"Yes, sir!" she yelled.
**
"One ten piece Chicken McNuggets, two large French Fries, one Iced Mocha, and one Dr. Pepper."
"Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Well, your total is--"
"Wait!" Liz yelled.
"What, Lemon?"
"Scoot over! I have an order."
"Yes, ma'am?" the man asked.
"I will take two chocolate-dipped cones."
"Is that it for you today?"
"Yup."
"Yes, your total will be $15.67. Please pull up to number one."
"Thank you!" Liz yelled as Jack pulled up the window.
"That was so immature of you," Jack said.
"What's so immature about ordering ice cream?"
"Uh, you literally sitting on my lap just to order it."
Liz cleared her throat.
"Well, then."
When they got to work, Jack followed Liz to the writers' room. They were sharing an order of fries and laughing about the stupidest things.
"Have you ever tried dipping fries into ice cream?" Liz asked him.
"Can't say I have, no."
"Well, you should. It's really, really good."
"I can't right now. My ice cream is still covered with chocolate."
Liz chuckled as she ate the ice cream.
"Whatever floats your boat, buddy."
"Where have you been all day?" Frank asked her.
Jack and Liz's laughter stopped and Liz looked at him seriously.
"Nowhere that involves you. Plus, why do you care? You left me here with all the re-writes, remember?"
"Yeah, which I found scattered all over the floor this morning!"
"That's because you people don't work. Now, the next one who leaves without finishing their work is getting FIRED, you hear me? Not just from me, but from Jack, too! How would you guys feel if you got double-fired?"
"Uh...uh...I'm sorry, Liz! I...I'm just--"
"Get back to work and no one talk. The next one who talks is getting fired. Get your work done," Liz said before entering her office with Jack.
Jack closed the door and his jaw dropped as he turned to look at Liz.
"What?" she asked grumpily.
"That was amazing, Lemon. You actually talked like a real boss out there. And double fired? That's a great idea," he said.
"Well, I've learned from the best," she said, smiling.
Jack pretended to wipe imaginary tears from his eyes.
"I'm so proud!" he said before hugging her.
"Those morons are getting fired, though."
Jack smirked.
Later that day, Liz decided to visit Jenna to see how she was doing.
"Hey, buddy," Liz said as she walked in.
"Wow. You must be sleeping with the boss a lot if you're starting to act like one. By the way, are your legs still sore or did they get even more sore?"
"What are you talking about, Jenna? Jack and I are not sleeping together."
"Oh, yeah? Well, why did Jonathan tell me that you guys were 'burning some calories' in Jack's house? Why did you spend the night there? Explain!"
Liz sighed.
"Yes, Jenna. I was burning some calories with Jack at the gym earlier, but not like that. I spent the night at Jack's house because I forgot my key. Now that I think of it, I should've just asked Jack because he has a key to my house."
Liz stood in thought while Jenna's eyes widened.
"What?" Liz asked her.
"JACK HAS A KEY," she said slowly.
"Yeah. I gave him that in case he has an emergency or something. I have a key to his house, too. What's so important about that?"
"Oh, come on, Liz! Couples only have keys to each others' houses!"
Liz rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, Jenna."
Jenna laughed.
"Hey, you wanna watch the new Harry Potter movie tomorrow?" Jenna asked her.
"Since when did you become interested in Harry  Potter? And no, I can't. I'm watching Winnie-the-Pooh tomorrow with Jack and Liddy."
"How about Sunday?"
"Can't. I'm going on a morning jog with Jack at Central Park."
"What about anytime next week?"
"I don't know. I'll have to--"
"Nope. Lemon's going to be Liddy's baby-sitter. She's going to be living with me," Jack said.
"Since when did you get here?" Liz asked him.
"Just now."
Liz gasped.
"So, if I baby-sit Liddy, does that mean unlimited playtime with her?"
Jack smiled and nodded.
"YAY!!!!" Liz yelled.
Jenna smirked.
"You guys, get out of my dressing room!" Jenna screamed.
"Okay, okay! Sorry we bothered you," Liz said.
Jenna slammed the door in front of their faces.
"So you accept?" Jack asked her.
Liz nodded.
"Great. You start tomorrow. Bring your extra clothes and stuff because I need a late-night nanny, too."
Liz gave him a thumbs-up and walked back in the writers' room. When she walked in, she wasn't surprised at what she saw. Frank was throwing paper at Lutz, Sue was only in her bra, Cerie was walking barefoot and Kenneth was telling everyone to stop.
When they all saw Liz, everyone got quiet.
"Miss Lemon, I was just about to--"
"Shush, Kenneth," Liz told him.
Liz took a deep breath.
"Okay. I'm going to be the good boss here today because I have a child waiting for me. Please, get your work done because I don't need any more stress in my life. And if it makes you work better, Jack and I have provided you with fries. pick them up at the everybody dining room and report back here immediately to work. Did everyone get that?"
"Uh. Fries is not an appropriate lunch choice," Lutz pointed out.
"Don't. Just don't," Liz said, trying to keep cool as she went back to her office.

TBC