Rated R in Final Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Community, yo.

Advanced Studies in Leaps of Faith

Monday, August 27

It was the end of August and classes were over, giving the group a one week reprieve before the fall semester started up. Jeff took that time to continue to look desperately for a job that would keep him housed and fed for the next year.

He was currently sitting in the offices of a small local start-up that Annie had shown to him in the classified ads (yes, the actual newspaper classified ads). The new firm was run by some notable lawyers; notable enough that Jeff had heard of them, and had even defended against one of them years earlier. He was nervous sitting before the two partners, feeling scrutinized and believing fully that they would send him away empty handed once again.

"Mr. Winger, your record speaks for itself," said one of the partners, peering down at his rap sheet. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I know it looks bad, but I've done a lot to turn that around in recent years," he attempted meekly. The man peered over the edge of the sheet.

"I'm not talking about that record. I'm talking about your caseload. You've got a pretty impressive list of improbable wins here." Jeff sat up a little straighter, surprised.

"Oh, yea. They used to call me a litterbug because I put so much trash back out on the street," he joked. The other two men in the room laughed along with him. Leave it up to lawyers to find that funny and not just gross.

"I remember you," said the other man, pointing at Jeff. "You were a spitfire in the courtroom." Jeff smiled.

"Thank you sir. It was a tough battle."

"A battle you won," he clarified. Jeff nodded slowly.

"Yes sir."

"Jeff, call me George," the man corrected. The other man jumped in.

"And call me your boss. That is, if you'll accept a position with Schuester & Simon," he said. Jeff looked at them incredulously.

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course, it will only be on a contract basis until you finish your bachelor degree."

"Of course!" Jeff said enthusiastically.

"Great! So we'll see you next Monday?" asked George. Jeff grinned widely and stood up, reaching forward to shake their hands.

"Monday it is," he said excitedly. "Thank you George, Mr. Simon... you won't regret this, I promise."

Back in his car, Jeff was nearly vibrating out of his seat. How was it possible that after so many interviews and so many horrible let downs, it took a guy he had absolutely obliterated in the courtroom to give him a job.

He had to tell someone. He was too excited to keep this in. He reached over to his hands-free device and punched in a number by heart, before putting the car into gear and pulling away from the curb.

"Hello?"

"Annie, it's Jeff," he said, as though he still needed to announce himself.

"Hey! What's up?" Jeff could hear a commotion in the background.

"What's going on over there?"

"Oh, Troy and Abed are having a waterless water balloon fight."

"... I don't get it."

"Neither do I. Suffice it to say, THEY ARE GOING TO BE CLEANING THIS UP," she thankfully screamed the last part away from the telephone receiver. Jeff just chuckled.

"Okay, it sounds like you need an escape route... you interested in coming over for dinner tonight? I have some news."

"Dinner?" her voice squeaked a little.

"Yea, at my place."

"You mean like just us? Or should I ask Beavis and Butthead to come too?"

"No, just us this time. Cool?" There was a moment of silence on the line.

"...okay. What time?"

"7:30?" he asked.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

"Oh!" Jeff remembered. "Annie, dress nice, okay?"

"Dress nice?"

"Yea."

"For dinner at your apartment?"

"Yea!" Jeff said again. He heard her laugh lightly on the other end and smile.

"Allllllright," she drawled. "I'll see you at 7:30 in my Sunday best." Jeff chuckled.

"Well, I hope not your Sunday best." He could hear her scoff on the other end.

"Perv."

"Yea, but you like me that way."

"Goodbye, Jeffery." Jeff chuckled.

"See you later, Annie."

Around 6 o'clock that evening, Jeff skittered around his apartment, putting dinner in the oven and tidying up as much as he could. He knew Annie had seen his apartment in all states, especially over the past several months, what with her penchant for dropping by unannounced, but he really wanted this to be something special. He had gotten a job—a job that she had made him aware of. As far as he was concerned, that was a win on both of their parts, and he was fully intending to celebrate that win to the hilt with her that evening.

And yea, maybe he had some ulterior motives too. Maybe.

But mostly he was just eager to see her face light up when he gave her the news. Maybe she would give him a huge hug and offer endless words of encouragement about how she knew he could do it. Maybe she would throw caution to the wind and just kiss him already. Maybe she would do that adorable little bouncy thing she did when she got excited.

Or maybe she would just beam up at him, and the warmth of her smile would be enough to make him weak in the knees all over again.

Whatever she did, he knew it would be the absolute perfect reaction. Annie was good at getting things right. Hell, she had even predicted months earlier that things would work out for Jeff, at a point when he wasn't so sure of that himself. She'd been so ceaselessly supportive of him all summer, not just as he made his way through the aggravating world of job applications and interviews, but also during their little adventures. She pushed him to do crazy things, like cliff diving, learning to throw a baseball, getting temporary tattoos, eating carbs in the afternoon and going on a hike with a dozen kids (Jacob was now his official Little Brother—something Jeff never would have anticipated, but he was more excited than ever about having that kind of bond with someone).

She'd pushed him hard, and he'd come out of it, he thought, a better man.

And that's what this dinner was really celebrating. He was a man who had faced and overcome his fears that summer. He'd overcome obstacles that had been in his way his entire life, and he never could have done that without her help. Sure, throwing a baseball might have seemed silly and unimportant to most, but his inability to do so had always taunted Jeff. The same could be said for his fear of heights. He'd always stayed back from the ledge, both literally and metaphorically. Annie pushed him over, and he lived to tell the tale. He was ready now to take one more leap for Annie. One more leap that was a long time coming, but if she would have him, he knew it would be his most impressive one yet.

So as the chicken was cooking and the pasta was boiling, Jeff pulled on one of his nicest suits and ties, his buffed black shoes, styled his hair just-so, and broke out his most expensive bottle of champagne, setting it in a bucket of ice on the counter so it would be sufficiently cooled when she arrived. He set the table using all of the proper fork/knife/spoon regulations, and set tall champagne flutes along with each place setting, with a pair of tall candles in the centre.

And then when dinner was prepared he set it in the oven to keep it warm, lit the candles, and began pacing nervously, waiting for Annie to finally knock on his door.

Which she did, at 7:30 sharp.

Jeff's breath left him in a whoosh when he opened the door and saw Annie for the first time. She was wearing a royal blue dress with spaghetti straps that hit about mid thigh and a pair of tall black pumps that made her legs look seven miles long. Her hair was slightly curled and spilled over her shoulders, contrasting the dark chestnut strands with the slightly tanned skin that could be found there. Everything was so simple and elegant, and yet so incredibly beautiful. Jeff honestly wasn't sure what to say or do next.

"Hey," she said a little breathlessly. It was then that Jeff realized she was also giving him the once-over. It made him swell a little with pride.

"You look gorgeous," he said quickly, before his brain could clamp down on that thought. She beamed up at him.

"You look pretty good yourself, Mr. Winger." Jeff grinned and stepped aside, allowing her to enter. He couldn't see her face, but he heard her gasp as she took in the scene he had set, with just flickering candlelight brightening the centrepiece for the room. She swung around to face him, a look of awe on her features.

"You did all this?" she asked. Jeff offered a slightly bashful shrug.

"Yea," he said meekly. She cocked her head to the side.

"What's the occasion?" He smiled lightly and stepped forward, surprising her by putting his hands on her hips.

"Well, there are a couple reasons," he stated slowly. She peered up at him from underneath her eyelashes, obviously waiting for his explanation. Her hands came to rest on his biceps, which he wasn't about to complain over. "The first reason, is to say thank you." Her brow furrowed.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For having faith in me this summer. Your support has really helped me through this whole job thing. I couldn't have gotten through it without you." She shook her head.

"Jeff, you can do anything you set your mind to, you know that." He shook his head.

"Not this. When you found me on that park bench back in June, I was ready to give up. You didn't let that happen." Annie bit her lip, but nodded slowly.

"Okay... what else?"

"Well," Jeff said slowly. "It's also a little celebration, of our summer of adventures," he explained. Annie grinned widely.

"You mean all of those adventures I had to drag you kicking and screaming to do?" He chuckled.

"Yes, all of those ones." She giggled.

"Okay, that's a good one. Is that it?" Jeff shook his head.

"Nope, there's one more thing." She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "Tonight, we're celebrating my official employment with Schuester & Simon, a job I wouldn't even know about if not for you." Annie's eyes widened and she stepped back, a little bounce in her step.

"You got the job!" she exclaimed. Jeff laughed.

"I got the job." She bounced a few more times.

"YOU GOT THE JOB!" She raced forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, a feat made easier by her four-inch heels. Jeff laughed joyously and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up. She swung her feet up and they both laughed at the sound of her shoes hitting the floor.

Carefully, after a moment, Jeff set her down (allllll the way down) onto her bare feet, but continued to hold her tightly to him.

"I couldn't have done this without you Annie. You've been so amazing to me all summer." She beamed up at him, her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"You did this yourself, Jeff. You deserve it." He smiled down at her, his hands splayed across her lower back as the two just watched each other for a moment. All summer they'd been leading to this, with stolen glances, hands held, days shared and nights spent anticipating their next moments together. Jeff knew he had to do it. It was the only fitting way to cap off the summer of "Jeff and Annie."

"Would you be totally freaked out if I kissed you right now?" His voice was a little weaker than he'd hoped for, but he felt a flood of relief when Annie bit her lip to quell her grin.

"I'd be pretty disappointed if you didn't," she answered honestly. Jeff smiled broadly and leaned down, capturing her lips in a soft, searching kiss. It had been such a long time coming that he was impressed with his own restraint.

It lasted only a moment before Annie's gurgling stomach interrupted them. They both broke away laughing.

"I should probably feed you, huh?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, an incredible smile on her face. Jeff led her to the table and got her situated before serving dinner.

Of all of her possible reactions, he never expected that he would get all three.

Dinner passed like all of the other times they'd spent together that summer. The conversation was easy and enjoyable, and Jeff could hardly believe how comfortable they both were in this new space their relationship seemed to occupy. No words had been said to solidify what they both knew to be true, but it seemed at that moment that words were the last thing they needed. Their relationship was all talked out. It was time for action, and he knew it.

And so when dinner was over, he and Annie retired to the couch, where cheerful conversation gave way to stolen kisses in the dimly candlelit room, with hands roaming freely over all of the places they'd each dreamed of for months. Jeff shifted them so he was laying on his back with Annie splayed out on top of him, both of their nice clothes becoming wrinkled between bodies in search of touches, friction, ecstasy, everything. It was only when Annie began unbuttoning his shirt that he realized he didn't want to do this on the couch that Chang had called home for months.

"Annie," he said in between heated kisses. She dipped her mouth to his neck. "Annie," he tried again, pushing her up slightly. She backed away, looking down at him with her swollen red lips parted, her sweet breath falling across his face as she lightly panted.

"Don't stop," she whispered quietly, a hint of uncertainty clear in her eyes. Jeff reached up to tangle his hand in her hair, bringing her lips back to his for a quick peck.

"Never," he mumbled against her lips before creating space again. "Let's just change up the locale, okay?" She peeked behind her at his knees bent awkwardly to fit his large body to the couch and slowly, sluggishly pulled herself away. Once she was to her feet, she grabbed the hem of her dress and in a swoop, pulled it over her head. Jeff sat up and watched her unabashedly as she did so, revelling in the reveal of her deep purple bra and panty set. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her body closer to him, placing a lingering kiss on her stomach, just above her belly button. He peeked up at her.

"It's stupid how hot you are," he said. Annie giggled and brought her hands to his face, holding it upward so she could see him, her thumb casually sweeping over his cheekbone.

"Make love to me, Jeff," she whispered. "I don't to want to wait anymore." Jeff felt a shiver at her words and raised himself to full height, shrugging off his jacket and pulling his tie off, leaving them on the couch before taking her hand and silently leading her through his apartment to his bedroom.

It was a rapid escalation once they were tangled in the sheets of his bed. The remainder of their clothes quickly found the floor as they desperately learned every inch of each others' bodies, first with hands, then with lips and tongues. Jeff slipped into Annie soon after, finding her warm and wet and ready for him in a way he'd only dreamed of in the past. Her body wrapped around his and they moved together, finding their own rhythm. It was a slow, steady burn that matched the rhythm their relationship had taken over the course of the summer. It started tentative, and soon escalated to places that neither had expected when they began.

When they finally reached their climax, Annie once again went first, leading Jeff over the edge just as she had been doing for three months. Their bodies rocked together in time to their rapid heartbeats and intermingled gasps of pleasure and necessity as Jeff drained himself inside of her, his body becoming stiff and then slackened above her.

And then Annie just held him. She held him as she had so many times before, only without the barriers of clothes, or the pretense of friendship standing in the way of their absolute need for each other.

As they both sunk under the covers, eyes closed, limbs heavy and hearts pounding, Jeff felt himself finally and completely give over to the inevitable. The summer of Jeff and Annie was never going to be just a summer, and he had an inkling that Annie had known that simple truth all those months ago when she found him down and out on a park bench in June.

He was unsurprised to find that he didn't care. He just wrapped her up in his arms and followed her lead once again as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

End

I figured this was a good one to skip the raunch in. It's not really that kind of fic, lol.

Anway, that's all folks! Hope you liked it. Let me know!