Ned

Ned was having more drinks tonight then he'd had the entire last year, but he didn't care.

All he could think about was the fact his own child probably didn't even know he existed, that was worse than any pain he'd ever felt.

Thus the drinking.

"Well Mr. Bigby I didn't expect to see you here,"says a voice from behind him.

Ned turns to see his old science teacher, Mr. Sweeney.

He didn't look like he'd aged all that much since Ned left Pulk twenty years ago, Ned had thought he'd be long dead by now.

"I'm not in the mood Sweeney,"Ned says looking at his old teacher and then back to his drink.

"Is that you talking or the whiskey?"Sweeney asks giving Ned's now empty drink to the bartender.

"It's gin,"Ned says wringing his hands.

"Now you must have a big problem for you to be drowning it in alcohol,"Sweeney says sitting down beside Ned.

"How do you know this isn't how I solve all my problems?"Ned asks.

"Because whether you like it or not I know you Mr. Bigby, and I know this isn't the way you solve your problems. You come up with a crazy scheme that will inevitably blow up in your face, but drinking was never your foretay. Now, why don't you tell me what's bothering you"Sweeney says looking Ned right in the eye as he spoke.

"I just found out I have a child I'll probably never get to meet,"Ned says to the pity on Sweeney's face.

"I see why your drinking,"Sweeney says.

"It's just if she didn't want me to meet him why did she tell me. Is she trying to torture me?"Ned asks as the bartender pours him another drink.

"I don't think she's trying to torture you,"Sweeney says.

"What do you know,"Ned says hammering down his drink.

"Maybe she's just trying to protect her child, and this is the only way she knows how to. She's protecting her child from getting hurt"Sweeney says as the bartender brings him a drink.

"I guess,"Ned says as the bartender refills his drink.

"Believe it or not, I actually know what you're going through,"Sweeney says taking a sip of his beer.

"Is this some bizarre moment where you tell me you're my father?"Ned asks smiling.

"No, I'm not your father, but I made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I've made a lot of mistakes as a father,"Sweeney says as he reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet and then a photograph.

"This is Celia, my daughter,"Sweeney says handing Ned a photo of a blonde little girl.

"I had no idea,"Ned says handing Sweeney the picture back.

"No one does. Her mother and I only dated for a few months when she got pregnant, I offered to marry her, but she said she was in love with someone else and he was going to raise the baby with her. This is the only picture she ever sent me, and that was thirty years ago"Sweeney says looking at the picture with regret.

"That's too bad, I'm sorry, but no offense why are you telling me this"Ned says as Sweeney puts the picture back into his wallet.

"Because I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. Although she's protecting her child, she doesn't understand how much she's hurting you, and sometimes it is better to keep the father away, but I've always known you'd be a good father, and any child would be lucky to call you Dad"Sweeney says as Ned looks away.

"I don't think I am. My daughter has barely talked to me since her mother died, and I can't seem to do anything right with her. With her sisters it's easy, but with Kayla. I've tried everything, I'm doing everything right, but nothing"Ned says taking a sip of his drink.

"Maybe you should stop doing everything right, and start being her Dad. She just needs to know that you're not going anywhere and that you'll always be there for her"Sweeney says as Ned nods.

"Yeah, I think your right"Ned say as Cookie runs up to him and Sweeney.

"Ned, come on we gotta go,"Cookie says as he attempts to drag Ned out of his chair.

"Cookie, what's going on,"Ned says as he turns to face Cookie.

"It's an emergency,come on we gotta go,"Cookie says as Ned stands up.

"Okay, see you later Sweeney,"Ned says as he's about to leave but turns back to Sweeny.

"Thirty years is long enough, don't make it thirty-one,"Ned says as Sweeny nods,Ned and Cookie then run out of the gym.

Jen

After watching the first two episodes of Ted's Guide to Surviving School, Gordy went to go get some soda's from the vending machine, leaving Jen sitting in a janitor's closet alone.

Ten minutes later the door opens and Ned walks inside, closing the door behind him.

"What the hell"Ned says as he sees Jen then tries to open the door, only to find it locked,"Cookie".

"Cookie, open this door,"Jen demands as she stands up and bangs on the door in an attempt to open it.

"Who's Cookie,I don't know this Cookie, but he sounds very handsome,"Cookie says from the other side of the door, pretending to be an old woman.

"Cookie this isn't funny, open this door,"Ned says banging on the door again.

"No, not until you work this out,"Gordy says also through the door.

"Gordy this really isn't funny,"Jen says.

"Nether is this, you guys belong together, and this argument is petty. When you work it out, then we'll let you go,"Cookie says as Ned leans against the door, defeated.

"Cookie, we'll never work this out. We'll be here forever"Jen says banging on the door again.

"Go ahead we'll wait,"Gordy says as Jen goes back over to her chair with a huff.

"This is insane,"Jen says as Ned turns to face her.

"So you're speaking to me now,"Ned asks leaning against the door.

"I was never not speaking to you,"Jen says turning away."

"Really, because I distinctly remember you saying that if I didn't lose your number and forget your address you'd have the national guard come and shoot me,"Ned says smirking.

"After what you did to me, you deceived it,"Jen says sitting back down.

"You know all I'm hearing is what I did to you,how I hurt you. How I'm such a jerk, but what I'm not hearing is an apology from you"Ned says as Jen glares at him.

"An apology, I'd sooner cut off my own hand then apologize to you,"Jen says.

"Again with the drama,"Ned says walking to the other side of the room.

"Again with you being a narcissistic bastard,"Jen says as Ned turns back to her.

"It was one moment of weakness, you know what make it two because I regret sleeping with you that last time"Ned declares.

"Are you telling me you regret our son?"Jen asks standing up.

"So he is mine because based on the way you were talking he was all yours, and how can I regret someone I've never met"Ned yells.

"He is all mine, you don't deserve to know him"Jen yells.

"If I had just known"Ned starts to say.

"If you'd just known,you would have what, dumped Kim, run back to Georgetown. I know you, Ned Bigby if you'd known you wouldn't have done a damn thing"Jen yells.

"Stop acting like you know me, you don't,"Ned says.

"Oh, I know you, if you had known about Parker, you wouldn't have done anything because you're selfish. I know it, you know it. Hell even Kim knew it,and that's why she stuck her head in the oven"Jen says immediately regretting her words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that,"Jen says as Ned walks past her and starts fiddling with the doorknob.

After a moment of silence, Ned quietly says,"She took an overdose, she didn't stick her head in the oven. She took a bunch of drugs then went to sleep".

"Ned,"Jen says before Ned continues.

"She'd been depressed for months, she had tried a few weeks before, she tried to drown herself in our pool, but I stopped had stopped her. Kayla had gotten sick at school, and our Nanny brought her home. I told her not to leave the girls with Kim when she was alone, but Kim told her that I was upstairs, and she believed her. Kim got the sleeping pills I'd been taking to fall asleep, mixed half of them into Kayla's chocolate milk, she took the rest. The school called and told me that Kayla had gotten sick, and the nanny told me she dropped Kayla off at home, with Kim. I raced to the house, Kim was dead, Kayla had thrown up most of the drugs, and the doctors in the ER brought her back, but she hasn't forgiven me, she thinks it's my fault. I should have been there, I should have been there"Ned says tears streaming down his face.

"This wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known,"Jen says as Ned cries harder.

"But I should have, I should have been there, I could have stopped her. I could have saved her,"Ned says in between the sobs.

Jen walks over to Ned and pulls him into her arms.

"It wasn't your fault, it's wasn't your fault"Jen repeats over and over as Ned counties to sob.

For a minute, Jen forgets she supposed to hate him, she forgets all of the pain he's caused her.

That is the moment Jen falls back in love with Ned, and the moment Ned falls back in love with Jen, even though he never really stopped.

Simon

Simon and Gordy were sitting on the floor outside of the janitors closet, passing a bottle of vodka between them, like two hobos under an overpass.

"Where's my life going Cook, I've been doing this for over twenty years, and I hate it. I have to will myself to get out of bed in the morning,"Gordy says handing Simon the bottle back.

"I haven't slept in my own bed in over a month, I've been too busy, trying to provide for the family I never see, working on a phone everyone will forget about in a year, and then, the cycle continues,"Simon says after drinking from the bottle.

"But you're a millionaire, can't you just hire someone to, well do your job for you,"Gordy asks before drinking from the bottle.

"Maybe. I think along the way, this just stopped being fun. Do you know when I started my company, I was a kid in a smelly dorm room fixing smartphones for cash, trying to get his mind off his two best friends moving on. I miss that kid. Where did he go Gordy?"Simon asks as Gordy hands him the bottle.

"He's still there, he just had to take a step back to let the adult you have the reins for a little bit, but that doesn't mean he's gone. You can always find him, hell we're getting drunk in a school hallway off of stolen booze, I think we found him already"Gordy says as Simon laughs.

"Lisa's pregnant,"Simon says out of nowhere.

"Congratulations man, I'll drink to that"Gordy says taking another drink from the bottle.

"I don't want my family to be second best, they need to be first best, all the time,"Simon says as Gordy hands him the bottle back.

"I think I need a new challenge, I've been doing this for too long, it's becoming too easy, I know what to expect from this building. I need a new adventure"Gordy says as Simon takes a drink from the bottle.

"Do you know what's an adventure?"Simon asks setting the empty bottle onto the linoleum.

"What,"Gordy asks looking to Simon.

"New York City. I could always use a good guy like you at my company"Simon says.

"Me, I don't know anything about phones,"Gordy says.

"But you know about people. Did you know about you that you gave me the idea for the company,"Simon says as Gordy looks at him shocked.

"Really, I did,"Gordy says still shocked.

"Yeah.I was twelve,hiding in your closet from Loomer and his gang, and you said to me, One day you're going to come up with an idea that's so extraordinary, so revolutionary, you'll make a zillion dollars and leave this place in your dust, and Loomer would be working for me. You got me to make my mark on the world and I did. If it wasn't for you, I'd be stuck in this building forever."Simon explains.

"I had no idea,"Gordy says.

"Your words have power Gordy, it got me where I am, and it probably got others where they are,"Simon says as Gordy nods.

"So how much would I be making, if I came and worked for you,"Gordy asks as Simon smiles.

"Well there wouldn't be a company without you, so twenty percent of what I make,"Simon says thinking.

"How much is that,"Gordy asks as Simon motions to him to move closer.

He does and Simon whispers the very large number into Gordy's ear.

"Holy crap, are you God or something?"Gordy asks shocked.

"Some days, my friend, some days"Simon says.

"And that's yearly,"Gordy asks as Simon smiles up at him.

"Monthly,"Simon says as Gordy looks even more shocked.

"When do I start,"Gordy asks as Lisa rounds the corner.

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere,"Lisa asks looking down at Simon and Gordy.

"Why we're right here,"Gordy asks as Lisa glares at him.

"What the hell is going on, and where are Ned and Moze,"Lisa asks as Simon and Gordy tap onto the wall that faces the hallway from the closet.

"You locked them in a closet, are you insane,"Lisa asks as Simon holds his thumb and middle finger an inch apart then holds them up for his wife.

"Little bit great, well have they killed each other yet,"Lisa asks.

"It's been quiet the last little bit, so either their both dead or they're working it out. Either way, we're good,"Simon says.

"Are you drunk?"Lisa asks getting angry.

"Extremely,"Simon says as his wife pulls him to his feet.

"We're going,"Lisa says to her husband before looking back to Gordy,"You good"."

"I'm going to be a millionaire, I'm peachy,"Gordy says.

"Let's go,"Lisa says as she starts to pull Simon away.

"You start Monday, my friend. Nine am sharp don't be late"Simon yells back to Gordy.

"I won't"Gordy yells back before passing out of the floor.