In The Silence

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Hey guys. As I mentioned, new fan fic in the works. I've already posted the prologue and first chapter at fanfiction.net if anyone's interested. If anyone does show any interest, I might post it here, too.

Here's the link:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5197111/1/In_The_Silence

[sunshinefizzy]

I thought that was a very good start. Keep going, it's all in you!!!

[Janet Tripper]

It's been YEARS since I've posted and since I read a good JJ story! Thanks for writing this I def think you should post it here!!! Good job! I have a smile from ear to ear!

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Thanks guys! I really do appreciate it. And Janet Tripper, nice to see you back. The title of the story was actually inspired by the Joyce Dewitt quote in your sig from Chris Mann's book! I may post it here, then. The next chapter is about done but I'm still tweaking it.

[Janet Tripper]

Originally Posted by *Pleasant Tomorrow*

Thanks guys! I really do appreciate it. And Janet Tripper, nice to see you back. The title of the story was actually inspired by the Joyce Dewitt quote in your sig from Chris Mann's book! I may post it here, then. The next chapter is about done but I'm still tweaking it.

Love it- that you used Joyce's quote for the title ! Thanks for welcoming me back!

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Here are the chapters I've already posted at fanfiction.net, plus a new one I just added.

Prologue

March 1977

Janet woke up that morning to the sound of Chrissy vacuum cleaning, feeling extremely tired and hung over. The party they had thrown for Eleanor the night before had gotten just a bit more out of hand than they had originally planned. She shuddered as she remembered the strip tease she performed for all of those people to see.

“Ugh,” she said at the thought as she threw the covers off of herself and managed to force herself out of bed, with no knowledge that just a few feet away from her was a man that was about to just come waltzing-well, tripping-into her and Chrissy’s hearts, and leaving such an impact on them that it would soon be difficult for the two of them to imagine their lives without him.

But as soon as Janet laid eyes on him, lying there in the bathtub asleep and soaking wet, yet still appearing as content as a child after his mother had tucked him in, she sensed that she was looking at trouble, and trouble was something that Janet had always made sure to avoid. But this trouble was different, something she didn’t necessarily want to turn away from, something she found herself a bit hypnotized by…

And then suddenly this man jumped up faster than she had ever seen Mrs. Roper jump up after Mr. Roper claimed that he was excited (by something about guessing the song on Name That Tune in seven notes, but excited nonetheless).

“He wasn’t going to kill them, was he?” Janet thought. “My God, I hope he’s hung over enough to think this ladle is actually threatening.” She held it in front of her and stared at him in terror, Chrissy cowering behind her, and hoping to God that this beautiful man wasn’t a serial killer.

“Uh…good evening,” He said, looking confused and just as uncomfortable as someone who was soaking wet could look.


“Good morning,” Janet and Chrissy skeptically replied.


“Good Lord, is it morning?”


“Yes, yes it is. And – and if you don’t mind a stupid question, who are you?” Janet asked.


“Uh, oh, I’m sorry. I’m Jack. Jack Tripper,” he said with an outreached hand, only to trip on the water he had dripped all around him.

“Well, he certainly lives up to his name,” Janet thought.

She didn’t quite know why, but Jack scared Janet. She could feel herself being drawn to him in a way that she was never drawn to anyone before, like she had known him for years. It was as if this man were some sort of kryptonite to her own strong, shielded self…as if he had come from an entirely different world where people like her weren’t allowed to be so strong. She hated it, but at the same time she welcomed it.

And that was that, and there he was, and soon enough she and Chrissy came up with the idea to invite Jack to live with them. After all, he was a great cook, he would be great protection around the house…and he was extremely handsome.

Janet had argued against the idea at first, worrying that some sort of trouble would come of it. Or, was it a jealousy of what appeared to be his interest in Chrissy? Or perhaps a fear of living with someone that she could easily find herself falling in love with?

But regardless of any of that, Janet found herself unable to resist asking Jack to live with her and Chrissy. And he agreed to.

It was later that day that Janet watched Jack as he looked lustfully at Chrissy and felt a tinge of jealousy. She sighed and bit her nail as he placed his hand on Chrissy’s knee. “This is certainly going to be an interesting ride,” she thought, shaking her head.

But it was then and there that she decided that there was only one way she could live with a man like Jack Tripper, and that was to put her guard up. Nothing would ever be allowed to happen, and that would go for Chrissy as well. It would be the number one house rule, and it would prevent her, and anyone else, from ever getting hurt. Surely that made sense… (she turned again to Jack in time to catch him smiling after a joke Chrissy had told, and decided that he was perhaps one of the most handsome men she had ever seen)… didn’t it?

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Chapter 1: “No More Tears”

May 1984

Sometimes things change in an instant. One minute you might be enjoying the fact that you’re at the height of your career, you’ve just gotten yourself a date, and you’ve managed to, for the first time, ride an airplane without having to drug yourself.

The next minute you might lose your best friend. The next minute you might lose the one person you love more than anyone else.

As soon as Jack had heard the word “marriage” come from Janet’s lips, he froze. He was sure he had stopped breathing for a second. Unable to find words, he pushed the kitchen door open and made his way out, leaving a stunned Janet and Terri behind him.

He had known the day would come, but he continuously pushed the idea to the side. He’d have time. Maybe things would change. Maybe…

He turned and saw her.

“Jack?”

The moment was a blur, the aura about the room suddenly different within an instant. He might as well have been in another room, in another apartment, in another city. The sting he felt traveled directly to his heart, which was beating so hard and so fast he wondered if Janet could hear it, although it might as well not have been beating at all; it was destroyed. And all that stood out in his mind during that moment were the words “no more Janet” and “no more tears.” She was no longer his Janet and he knew he couldn’t cry about it. For her sake. For her happiness. He didn’t have a choice.

Oh, but the tears in her eyes killed him. He wanted so badly to make them go away. He wanted to whisk her away and tell her that her troubles were all gone, that their troubles were all gone. This confusion and uncertainty, this fear of hurting the other, of losing the other…

Were they doing the right thing?

He didn’t say a word that alluded to anything between he and Janet. Why bother now? Perhaps the pain in his eyes was explanation enough for how he felt, the sparkle suddenly gone. She seemed genuinely happy about her engagement to Phillip and he couldn’t destroy that with his own concerns. Fighting his own tears, he wiped away hers.

The look in Janet’s eyes as she looked at Phillip a few days later assured him that they were, in fact, doing the right thing. “She’s happy,” he thought. “She doesn’t need me anymore.”

But that did not stop Jack from resenting Phillip. When Janet left the living room to continue getting ready for their date, he made his way over to Phillip with a sly look on his face. He looked Phillip up and down as if he were a dean at a boarding school. Finally, he noticed a flaw and chuckled.

“Is there…something wrong?” Phillip inquired.

“Wrong? Noooo,” he said, pronouncing the ‘no’ in his exaggerated Jack Tripper way. “But,” he added, “I’ve spotted a dog hair on your shoulder. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don’t think La Petite Salon would be pleased.”

“Oh,” Phillip chucked as he wiped it away. “Actually, that’s from my cat Winston.

“Cat? Winston? But of course, I should have known,” he said, squinting at Phillip and continuing to try and find any reason he could to despise the man, and having a more difficult time than he had hoped.

Standing there awkwardly, Phillip finally managed to say, “Do you mind if I have a seat?”

“Do I mind if you have a seat?” Jack asked angrily. “No, of course not,” he said, pathetically.

They both made their way to the sofa, and Phillip smiled awkwardly at Jack, “Lovely weather we’re having, huh?”

Jack, who was still looking at him suspiciously, replied “What an awful thing to say!” ignoring what Phillip had actually said altogether.

Sighing, Phillip said “Look, Jack, I’m just trying to be friendly.”

Jack, too, sighed and stared down for a few seconds before he spoke. “I’m sorry. Really…I just, I guess I’m pretty protective of Janet.”

Phillip smiled. “Well, that’s understandable. I know you two are close.”

Jack gulped at those words, almost guilty of how little Phillip knew of he and Janet’s past.

Janet walked out of her room and smiled at the two. “Sorry about that, Phil. Are you ready?”

The two men stood up and Phillip looked at her and smiled. “All ready. Wow, you look absolutely stunning.”

Jack felt his muscles tense, but he remained expressionless. Turning away from Phillip, Janet looked at Jack to say goodbye, but stopped when she saw him stare vacantly at the ground. The last few days he had been different…distant. The loveable, happy boy she had known now appeared to be a sluggish, depressed man. What had she done so wrong in finding happiness? She had thought they had talked the situation through a long time ago. Now she began to wonder if Jack was still stuck on what they could have been.

He had not been able to talk to Janet much for the next couple of days. As a defense mechanism, he had to mentally prepare himself for what he’d soon no longer have. Someone had to fill that hole, and at the moment Vicky was the closest he could find to do so. A moment ago she had just been another girl, now she became his solace for what he was now no longer able to cling to. He knew that he would ask Vicky to marry him. For now, what else did he have to lose? There would never be another Janet.

________________________

As he lay there in his bed that night, Jack tried to comprehend what life would be like not living in apartment 201, but most of all he tried to imagine what life would be like not living with Janet. Her words had hit him like a bolt of lightning, his heart beat had quickened, and his mind had raced a mile a second. “No more Janet.” Those words sounded like a language he didn’t know. They didn’t float into his mind like other words; they forced themselves in uncomfortably, as if someone were forcing two puzzle pieces together that didn’t actually fit.

But he’d had his chance. They could only ever be friends. They knew that. So why was it so hard to let go? What did he feel like he was making the biggest mistake of his life by letting Janet marry that man?

Suddenly he heard a knock at the door. He knew who it was before Janet’s soft voice said, “Jack? It’s me, Janet.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before getting up and walking to the door. He paused before he opened it, and when he did he looked intensely into her dark brown eyes. “Hey.”

Janet swallowed hard and stared right back into his eyes. She had always loved his light blue eyes. They were so soft and kind, and made her feel so loved just by looking into them. And she knew she was. There was never any doubt about that.

“Jack I, um…I was worried about you and I just-”

Still staring into her eyes Jack cut her off and said, “Janet, I’m okay.” He felt himself cringing at the lie as he put his hand on her cheek and began to caress it with his thumb. “As long as you’re happy, I’m okay.”

Janet didn’t take her eyes off of him either and replied, “It’s just that you’ve been acting so strange ever since I told you that I was marrying Philip and I-I can’t help but think that I’m the reason that you’re acting differently.”

“Janet, just take my word for it, okay?”

“You’ve barely talked to me for the last couple of days.”

Jack backed away from her and sighed as he made his way further into the living room. “I just need time to think, Janet. This is so sudden. It’s a huge change for all of us.”

“I know that Jack but I feel like I’m going to lose you. I’m not even married to Philip yet and things have already changed.” Janet stopped as she began to choke up. She cleared her throat and refused to blink so that the tears wouldn’t flow. She looked at Jack staring at the ground and finally managed to say, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Jack. You’re my best friend.”

Looking up Jack said, “You won’t lose me Janet. But you have to expect that things will be different. We’re not always going to be as close as we are now. You’re getting married and I’ve met someone.”

“So you’re giving it all up now? Before anything has even changed?”

“Everything has changed!” He stopped himself when he realized he had said those last few words just a bit louder than he had meant to. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to yell.”

Janet stared at Jack as if he had just smacked her across the face. He’d never yelled at her like that before. But she could find no words to say to him and just shook her head as she made her way to her bedroom door.

“Janet, I’m sorry!” Jack said as he grabbed her arm just before she turned the doorknob. Janet willingly stopped but did not turn around. “This is so unbelievably hard,” he said.

Janet spun around and looked directly into his eyes, “Hard? Hard? Don’t you tell me what’s hard, Jack Tripper! I’ve been going through denial for seven years just to make sure I’d never get hurt by you! Every day, every minute with you I had to assure myself that my feelings for you meant nothing! Chasing after Chrissy or Terri, or whomever…oh Jack, how could I trust you? I could never let myself give in to those feelings and when I almost did I had never been more terrified in my entire life. Having feelings for you is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“And having feelings for you was any easier?” Jack said, clenching his fists with anger. Before he could make a case for himself, Janet stopped him.

“This is why nothing could ever happen between us, Jack. This right here.”

“Because you’re unbelievably difficult?”

“Because you’re unbelievably immature.” And with that, Janet turned on her heel and walked into her room, shutting the door on him.

Jack stood there ready to punch the wall, the room suddenly extremely quiet. The silence surrounded him like an evil spirit, destroying all of the laughter and love he had shared with Janet those seven years. He couldn’t believe how something so precious could be taken away from him so quickly, but there he was standing alone by the bedroom door, feeling as if he were the only person left in the world. “No more Janet.”

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Chapter 2: Do You Dig Him?

March 1977

“No, no, no,” Jack said as he struggled out of the woman’s arms and turned his attention to the radiator. Mr. Roper’s car was a piece of junk, but at least it gave Jack an excuse to turn his attention elsewhere from Karen. He wasn’t about to get in trouble with Roper for fooling around with his niece. Trying to fix the radiator was the only way he could avoid her while they sat there backed-up on the freeway.

“Oh but Jack,” Karen said seductively as she began kissing Jack on his neck and up to his ear, “You’ve been fiddling with that thing all night. Isn’t it time you, maybe, fiddled with something else?”

Jack smiled but forced himself to pull away from the beautiful woman, something that wasn’t very easy for him to do. “I might as well make sure these windshield wipers work, in case of a storm…”

“In California? The sky is completely clear.”

Jack ignored her as he mindlessly clicked the windshield wiper button on and off, while Karen sat back in her seat and rolled her eyes.

Finally traffic began to pick up and not a word was uttered between the two. Jack’s mind began to wander elsewhere, particularly to his new roommates and how much they must hate him at the moment. Jack sighed. He really did feel guilty for bailing on Janet like that, but he had no idea traffic would be this bad.

Luckily he had had a plan the whole time. He pulled up to a pawn shop and asked Karen to wait in the car. It was the least he could do for Janet. He’d been hoping there was some way he could do something special for her on her birthday.

Walking up to the pawn shop, Jack chuckled as he remembered the kiss he had shared with Janet earlier. It was the first time he had kissed either of the girls, and assumed a “birthday kiss” would be the perfect excuse to do so. A shot with Chrissy would have been nice as well, but just Janet sufficed. He stopped himself for a minute as he remembered the look in her eyes after he had kissed her, and the shock of excitement that surged throughout his body for a second before he realized he was caught on her necklace. But before he got a chance to fully process the thought, he unknowingly walked straight into the door of the shop.

“Ayyyyieee,” Jack moaned as the owner walked out of the shop to see if he was alright.

The owner looked at him and replied, “I’m sorry, we don’t sell band-aids here.”

____________________

The next morning, Janet looked into the mirror as she clipped her favorite necklace around her neck. The cameo Jack had bought back for her twinkled in the light and she smiled. Jack sure was growing on her, but then again who was she kidding? She had seen something special in him from the moment that she had met him. Admitting that was difficult, however. Admitting that was setting herself up for a world of hurt.

“Janet!” Chrissy called from the living room, breaking Janet away from her thoughts.

“I’m coming!” Janet said as she sprinted out of the bathroom. Chrissy and Jack were waiting for her in the living room. Though Janet had continuously assured Jack that he had more than made up for not celebrating her birthday with her and Chrissy, he still insisted on treating them to a day at the pier.

“I tell ya, it’s like women have their own religion and the mirror is one of the gods that they pray to,” Jack joked about the girl’s habits as Janet playfully smacked him on the arm. Jack laughed and opened the door only to find the “smiling” faces of the Ropers staring back at him.

“Mr. Roper! Look girls, it’s Mr. Roper!” Jack said as he looked back at the girls and made an “oh great” face.

“And Mrs. Roper,” she said, poking her head around the corner. “Mr. Roper never does his dirty work alone. Oh, what am I saying? He never does any dirty work period,” she said, sarcastically referring to his lack of sexual interest.

“Dirty work?” Janet asked, ignoring Mrs. Roper’s sarcasm.

“Mrs. Roper wanted me to-I wanted to apologize again to Jack. About last night, if I’d have known it would’ve tortured you that much to take a beautiful woman out, I’d have never asked you to. I promise it’ll never happen again.”

Janet and Chrissy almost burst out into laughter while Jack replied, “Oh, no, no, Mr. Roper. I assure you it was no trouble at all. Trust me, I can handle these things.”

“I’ll bet that’s exactly what he was doing,” Janet sarcastically quipped to Chrissy, who chuckled.

“Well, I said what I needed to say and now I have to go and spend some time with my niece,” said Mr. Roper.

“Bye kids,” Mrs. Roper said.

After they had left, Janet said, “Well, you don’t see that every day!”

“Yeah, I wonder what got into Mr. Roper to say a sweet thing like that,” said Chrissy.

“I don’t know, but this gay act is really starting to wear me out. I don’t know how long I can go on doing this!” said Jack.

“Oh Jack, don’t tell me you’re not having fun with it. Do you remember the look on Roper’s face last week when you told him he resembled an old flame of yours?” Janet laughed.

“Yeah! I’d never seen Mr. Roper run away that fast before! It sure got Mrs. Roper excited, though!” Chrissy said as she let out a snort.

Jack winced. “The funniest part is that I really was referring to a girl. She wasn’t nearly as beautiful as you, Chrissy,” he said as he ran his ringers through her hair and she bit her lip.

Janet looked at the two and then looked down, her lips pursed. It was plain as day that Jack had a crush on Chrissy, and Chrissy sure wasn’t putting up much of a fight. “Well!” she said, trying to get their attention, “We’d better get going. Come on Chrissy!” She grabbed Chrissy’s arm, pulling her away from Jack who made a face and then shrugged off Janet’s impulsiveness.

The weather was, as usual, beautiful that day. You could smell the mist of the ocean as it lightly tickled your face and the sound of laughter in the air as families, friends, and lovers enjoyed their time at the beach. Janet found herself getting caught up in the sites around her until Jack and Chrissy, who were now a few feet ahead, called back to her. They were headed toward the Merry-Go-Round, Chrissy’s favorite.

“Come on, babe,” Jack said as he grabbed Janet’s hand. “The sheer excitement at the thought of going around in circles at five miles per hour is killing me. I can’t wait any longer!”

Janet laughed as Chrissy whined a “Hey!”

Looking at the three that day, one would be surprised that they all hadn’t known each other for years. The smiles on their faces hid the thoughts racing through their minds, particularly Janet’s. She couldn’t deny it any longer; she certainly had a crush on Jack. And Jack? Well, it was obvious to her that he had a crush on Chrissy. And as for Chrissy, well, Chrissy was Chrissy and Janet didn’t know much what to think about where her thoughts were focused. It seemed to be a triangular mess that caused Janet to wonder if she and Chrissy had done the right thing by allowing Jack into their home.

Later, while Jack chatted with some friends he had spotted, Chrissy pulled Janet to the side with a concerned look on her face.

“Janet, are you alright?” She asked.

Chuckling Janet said, “Of course, Chrissy. Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

“Well, it’s just that…you’ve been acting kind of weird the last couple of weeks. Ya know, ever since Jack moved in. I mean, you’ve been acting high strung even for you!”

“What?” Janet laughed. “And what exactly do you mean by high strung?”

“What would you do if I told you that Jack passionately made out with me last night after you went to bed?”

“He what?!” Janet shrieked, and then forced a smile when she realized that the people around them had stopped and stared at her. “H-he what?” She said again more quietly.

“See? That’s exactly what I mean! I just made that up but even if I hadn’t why would it matter?”

“I-because…well, ya know, because…” Janet stopped herself unable to give a straight answer. “I mean, it wouldn’t be right…for the other roommate.”

“Do you dig Jack?”

“What?” Janet laughed.

“You asked me last night, but you never answered me back,” Chrissy said, her light blue eyes twinkling. “If he weren’t living with us would you, well, you know…?”

Janet looked back at Chrissy and smiled at the repetition of her own words from the night before. Sure, Chrissy didn’t appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed, that much was for sure, but underneath that blonde head of hair of hers was a fully functioning brain that knew just when to make its point.

Sighing, Janet replied firmly, “Look, maybe just a little crush. A very small, very minute crush. It’ll go away very quickly, I’m sure.”

Chrissy smiled, “I knew it! I knew you’d know to tell me what I knew you knew all along! Besides, a crush is a crush. We can’t help those. And you’re right. It wouldn’t be right for two roommates to be together because it’d make the third feel awkward. So don’t you worry, I have no interest in ever dating Jack.”

“And neither do I!” Janet said, feeling as though she was only partially telling the truth.

“Neither do you what?” Jack asked while walking up to the girls, having heard the last few words of Janet’s.

“Neither do I what? Uh…tell him Chrissy,” she said, laughing the situation off.

“Neither does she, um…” Pausing, Chrissy spotted a man walking by eating some french fries with ketchup smothered all over them. “Neither does she…eat french fries with ketchup! Yeah, everyone knows ketchup stunts your growth,” she said rolling her eyes and chuckling, as if it was obvious.

“I see Janet learned that the hard way,” Jack said jokingly, referring to Janet’s short stature, while she proceeded to give him her signature stare. He then grabbed each girl’s hand and led them further down the pier, very content with the new friends he had acquired. It was living with two girls that wasn’t going to be easy, especially when he had decided he may have feelings for one of them.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Chapter 3: Strictly Platonic

October 1977

Reaching down for the book that had just fallen, Jack and Chrissy’s hands brushed against the other’s causing each to tense a bit and look into each other’s eyes. While Chrissy’s expression was that of longing, Jack’s was more contemplative as he stared at her trying to figure out why exactly he wasn’t proceeding to rip her clothes off and, more importantly, whether or not he really wanted to. As their faces grew closer he knew the only thing that made sense was to kiss her; so, he did…on her forehead.

Who was that?

“You know, I think dinner’s ready. I’ll go check on it,” Jack said making his way to the kitchen, puzzled and unsure of what had just happened. Chrissy was beautiful without even trying, someone he found to be extremely attractive and innocent and she captivated him. And now, here was his chance…and he kissed her forehead. What on earth was wrong with him?

Well, there was Linda. That was it. She was one of the most serious girlfriends he had had in a long time. If Linda wasn’t in the picture, he’d surely have been all over Chrissy. Wouldn’t he have?

Walking out to the living room with dinner in his hands, Jack looked over at Chrissy and invited her to the table and she slowly dragged herself to it with a forlorn look on her face.

“You took your hair out of the curlers,” Jack said as he placed the food on the table.

“Yeah,” she said quietly as she sat down.

“Everything okay?”

“Mmhm.”

Shrugging off Chrissy’s strange behavior, Jack once again proceeded to look into her eyes, even though she was still looking down. She was beautiful inside and out. What a sweet kid, he thought. And then it hit him: it wasn’t a crush he had on Chrissy; it was admiration for her kind soul and childlike spirit. Although she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, he began to realize that looks were as far as his attraction for her went.

And suddenly, Jack felt like a free man. No crush on his roommate meant no stress, no heartache, and no pain and longing for what could never be.

The huge smile on his face completely threw Chrissy off. “What’s so funny?” she whined, not in the mood for Jack’s jokes.

“Nothing, Chrissy, you’re just a wonderful, beautiful girl,” he smiled, and gave her another kiss on the forehead, giggling to the point that he seemed almost insane. Chrissy, on the other hand, took his chuckling to mean he did not find her attractive and it only caused her more anguish.

Sighing and tugging at a curler she just realized she had missed, Chrissy said, “Oh, I see, you’re laughing at me.”

“No, Chrissy, I’m not laughing at you. I’m just so very happy to be your friend. You make me feel good about myself and you make me happy and I’m very grateful for that.”

Putting on a half-hearted smile, Chrissy replied, “Oh, well, I’m grateful to be your friend too, Jack.” Then, she quickly kissed him on the forehead and looked down, mildly confused.

“Well, better hurry up before dinner gets cold. Eat up!”

“Right.”

But, unbeknownst to Chrissy, as they talked that night Jack learned a lot about her and who she was. And the more they talked, the more he realized he only really saw her as a friend whom he admired and loved. He was beyond happy and beyond relieved. No, Janet certainly had nothing to worry about that night.

__________________________

Of course she trusted them. Well, she trusted Chrissy anyway. Still, walking into the apartment that morning and seeing a mess left over from the night before caused her to raise her eyebrows a bit. And then there was poor Chrissy who seemed significantly upset. And the empty wine bottle. And Jack’s suspiciously giddy mood…

‘I’ll kill him…” she thought.

However, upon learning the truth, Janet managed to compose herself and show no worry at all. Had anything happened that night, she thought she might have screamed. What had happened between Jack and Chrissy she could never quite guess, but the fact that it was all platonic relieved her more than she was willing to admit to herself. But, nothing did happen and she was quite happy to leave it at that. Of course, the fact that Chrissy felt bad for Janet for having to spend another night with Mrs. Roper and was willing to spend it with her in Janet’s place may have made it a bit easier to accept. And then suddenly she realized she’d be alone with Jack that night and her heart began to flutter. Out of excitement or fear, she wasn’t quite sure.

Chrissy made her way downstairs before the girls got a chance to tell Jack they were switching places and he walked out of his room surprised to see a brunette head of hair where he expected to see a blonde one.

“Janet! What are you still doing here?” He asked.

“Oh,” she said turning around to face Jack from the sofa where she was sitting, “Chrissy decided to go in my place. Something about not having played a good game of dominos in a long time.”

“Oh,” he replied disappointed at the loss of one roommate, but put a smile on his face for the gaining of another. “Any plans for tonight?”

“No. No, I thought I’d just take it easy for tonight. What about you?”

“No girlfriend, no money…no plans,” he sulkily replied, slumping down on the sofa next to her.

“Oh Jack,” she said patting him on the shoulder, slightly amused but also genuinely sorry for him, “Hey, there’ll be other Linda’s. Besides, you seemed to have a good time with Chrissy last night, why shouldn’t you have a good time with me, too?”

Jack looked at her and smiled. “You’re right. Plus, with you I don’t have to explain everything that could possibly be mistaken for something else,” he said with a laugh, referring to Chrissy’s lack of ability to grasp any mildly complicated concept.

“Huh?”

“Or maybe I do…” Blowing her confusion off, he put his arm around her and smiled, “So I was thinking-“ he started.

“Well stop thinking!” Suspicious of what Jack’s words might mean, she threw his arm off of her and scooted further away from him on the sofa. Crush or no, she was not up for any funny business.

“No, Janet,” he chuckled at her misunderstanding. “No, I mean…I was thinking we have a nice, quiet dinner together like I had with Chrissy. I mean, if I can do it with her why shouldn’t I be able to do it with you?”

Misunderstanding him again by taking his usage of the phrase “do it” to mean something other than eating dinner, she jumped off of the sofa and shrieked back, “Jack Tripper! What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

Still chuckling to himself at his unintended innuendo, he got up and put his hands on her arms. “Janet…my God, you’re so tense! Will you calm down?” As she began to relax instead of running away from him, Jack went on, “Look, I know you’re not used to being alone with me but I’m really not as bad as you might think. We’ve been living together for seven months now, you have to learn to trust me. I didn’t try anything with Chrissy last night, did I?”

“No,” she admitted, “But that was when you were still with Linda.”

“Janet, Janet, Janet. Look,” he said sighing as he walked over to the door and opened it. “I’ll leave the door open tonight while we have dinner. It’s a nice night out anyway. I may be perverted, but I’m not perverted enough to try anything in front of the whole world.”

“Well, okay,” she said, beginning to smile a bit, “but you’ll let all the bugs in.”

“You are impossible!” he said slamming the door, but secretly finding himself amused. Impossible she may be, but somehow she still managed to remain somewhat striking to him. What it was, however, he could not quite place his finger on.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” she began to laugh. “I…I trust you,” she forced herself to admit.

“Okay then. I’m going to go start dinner. Anything you have in mind?”

Walking into her room to change she replied, without the realization of yet another innuendo, “I could actually go for something a bit spicy.”

“Coming right up!” He joked and ran over to her with his arms spread wide open, only to have the door slammed right on his face. But that was okay, Jack Tripper was used to broken noses.

_____________________________

Just as he had with Chrissy, Jack learned quite a bit about Janet that night. That she was the oldest of three, with one younger sister and one younger brother. That as a little girl, she had always wanted to be a professional dancer. And that, whenever she got really upset, she ate like a compulsive eater…something that, as a cook, Jack could easily help her with.

He felt different around Janet than he did around Chrissy. Chrissy was like a loveable, little girl to him…well, not quite so much like a little girl, he thought, thinking about her voluptuousness and biting his lip. Turning to Janet, though, he thought about how he saw her more as someone who could really understand him…someone he could easily talk to and who would understand him.

And she did learn to understand him. Smiling, she looked into his eyes as he recalled his days in the Navy with fondness. He also told her about his childhood and how he became interested in cooking through his late grandmother, who was from France. She was interested in hearing about the women of Jack’s past. He elaborated on how he grew up with strong women in his life, growing to respect them and never quite feeling as if he could ever be good enough for a woman like that. They fascinated him, and he always felt they deserved the best that life could give them. It explained a lot to Janet about why he always seemed to go for the floozies.

Was she that strong woman he respected? Was that why he seemed to keep his distance from her in comparison to Chrissy? Or, was it because she, too, felt the need to keep her distance from him? That she was far too strong-willed to let her guard down to a man who surely wouldn’t give her a second glance on the street had they never met?

After he had finished his reminiscing, Janet got up to go and pick up the dishes from dinner, staring into the remnants of the Boeuf Bourguignon as if it were a mirror displaying all of her thoughts for her to contemplate. Turning around to ask Jack if he wouldn’t mind helping her, she bumped into him, as he had already gotten up, and the plate of leftover food spilled all over her blouse.

“Jack!”

“Oh, Janet, I’m so sorry. Take off your shirt, I’ll clean it for you,” Jack said, not meaning to insinuate anything.

Janet stared at him angrily, once again mistaking his words to mean something much worse.

Catching her glare, Jack said jokingly, “Well, we have to get the stain out somehow!” And then, he proceeded to puff his cheeks out like a rabid maniac.

Janet couldn’t help but laugh and smacked him on the stomach, “Get your mind out of the gutter, you!” she said and made her way to the bedroom to change, “Now put those dishes away.”

“Yes’m,” Jack joked and made his way to the kitchen. ‘Stupid, stupid,’ he thought as he placed the dishes into the sink. ‘Do I always have to turn everything into a dirty joke? Then again,’ he thought, forming a sly smile on his face, ‘she must have a dirty mind, too, since she’s always assuming the worst…’ Shaking his thoughts off, he scolded himself. ‘Janet’s a good girl! Just like Chrissy’s a good girl. I was always the wimpy boy in my family, with all of those wonderful women, and now I treat them like that!’ Sighing, he thought about how Janet had that no nonsense attitude mixed with charm, wit, and beauty that he feared, but at the same time admired.

Walking out into the living room after he had finished with the dishes, he caught Janet walking out of her room and their eyes locked. She was nothing like Chrissy, he thought. Nothing like any girl he ever went for, really. He looked at her with her large rimmed glasses and oversized blue jersey as she produced an awkward smile. No, not like those girls at all. But still, for some reason, there was still something about her that shined.

Shaking himself out of his trance, Jack managed to say, “Hey, I’m really sorry about your shirt. I hope it’s not stained.”

“I think it’s safe to say it’s just been downgraded to dishrag status,” she said, but with a bit of a smile.

“Oh Jan, I’m so sorry…”

“Eh, no big deal. It’s an old shirt anyway.”

Running out of things to say they both stood there in silence for a minute, each at opposite sides of the room. In a way, it described their relationship at that point perfectly: captivated, yet terrified as they stood there trying to figure one another out.

“Well…” Jack managed to say.

“Well,” Janet replied.

“I, uh, there’s supposed to be a Bogart film on in a little while that I wouldn’t mind seeing. You in?” Jack asked.

“Oh, sure! I love Humphrey Bogart!”

Sitting on the sofa with Jack as the movie began, Janet thought back to how Chrissy had acted earlier in response to Jack’s actions, or lack thereof, the night before. She recalled how Jack had admitted if he hadn’t been with Linda, he would’ve been all over Chrissy. And while Janet eventually blew his words off as a joke, she began to rethink them now. Jack was no longer dating Linda and he was still acting like a gentleman. ‘Well,’ Janet thought, ‘that was a good thing, right? Right? Oh, Janet be serious! Of course it is!”

But she couldn’t help being disappointed that he didn’t at least try, just as Chrissy had been. She wouldn’t voice it, though, or even act upset. Secrets such as these were meant to be hidden in the deepest corners of her mind, not to be told to anyone.

Jack looked over at Janet and smiled a friendly smile and she smiled back in return. His conclusion this time wasn’t the same that he had come to about Chrissy the night before. Janet wasn’t a loveable child, she was something different…someone he knew he’d grow very close to. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but maybe something else: a sort of bond that only few are lucky enough to have.

He held out his hand for her to hold, and as she placed hers in his she felt that she understood what he was thinking. It hurt her and at the same time her brain told her that that was how it would have to be and how it should be. Her heart, however, had different plans. And her heart was just as stubborn as she was.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Chapter 4: No Kissing, No Necking

October 1978

It was almost midnight. Feeling a tad guilty for putting Chrissy in the position she was in as a result of the bet, Janet decided she ought to be the one to have to sleep outside to make sure Jack didn’t walk out the door and cheat. Quietly, she grabbed her sleeping bag from the closet opposite her bed and slowly made her way out the bedroom door.

Pausing, she looked suspiciously at Jack’s door but decided it was perhaps going too far to literally go in and check on him. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t want to. Sighing, she threw the sleeping bag onto the floor. Oh, what was she doing? And why? Was this really about will power and the battle of the sexes, about whether Chrissy could go longer without food than Jack could without women, or was it something else?

She headed toward the kitchen to grab a large spoon should anyone attempt to harm her outside. It was Santa Monica, after all. But questions of guilt and confusion still continued to tap her on the shoulder. They screamed jealousy and insecurity. Janet would have started to cry if she weren’t so good at mimicking indifference, for there were certain things that she wouldn’t even admit to herself.

After she had accidentally slammed the drawer shut and winced at the noise, she went to grab the sleeping bag and laid it down outside right in front of the door. It may be crazy of her to do, but she wasn’t by any means going to let Jack escape-er, cheat. Because, of course, she didn’t own Jack…she just didn’t want to lose a bet. Right?

As much as she tried to ignore it, deep down she knew. Falling asleep, she made sure to try and think of other things, but in the back of her mind thoughts were racing. The real reason why she was lying outside the apartment door in a sleeping bag like a fool, large spoon in hand, of course, was not the possibility that Jack would cheat on the bet and head over to Grace’s hotel room; the real issue was jealousy. Janet knew that the only time Chrissy truly angered her was when her looks gained more attention than her own…when her own insecurities that she wasn’t good enough or pretty enough gnawed at her. And she knew that the only time Jack truly angered her was when he became very interested in a woman that wasn’t her. The bet, of course, was a way to make her feel equal, to push all of her frustrations away.

But she couldn’t admit these things to herself…because it hurt too much to. And Janet hated crying. She hated to think that she was maybe taking her problems out on her own best friends. The ideal Janet wouldn’t do that. The ideal Janet would rise above her insecurities. But she wasn’t the ideal Janet. She wasn’t the ideal anyone; she was just human.

“Women have no self-control.” Jack’s words from earlier echoed in her mind, unknowingly challenging her own behavior. They only made her want to go through with the bet even more. ‘I’ll show him,’ she thought as she tossed once to make herself more comfortable.

Just before she fell asleep, Janet looked up at the clear California night sky. Were the answers to her problems perhaps somewhere out there? Searching among the heavens, she saw a star twinkle as if to say, “You’re on your own, kid.” Sighing, she turned over once more and closed her eyes.

______________________________________

Jack didn’t catch on. How could he, when Janet herself wasn’t quite able to? Running his face through the cold water of the shower, he shrieked both at the pain of the temperature and the pain of losing yet another girl. Oh Grace. Sweet, sweet Grace. Curvaceous, promiscuous Grace. He ran his head under the water again and shrieked some more.

Janet walked back into the living room and rolled her eyes as Chrissy continued to eat the cake. Grace was gone, but it didn’t make her feel any better for in reality she had gained nothing. The girls hadn’t even won the bet.

Sighing, Janet slumped down on the couch next to Chrissy.

Looking over at Janet with chocolate cake covering her face and hands, Chrissy made a face reminiscent of a dog who had just torn up a shoe and gotten caught. “Oh, Janet, I couldn’t help it. This cake is so good.”

Janet looked sympathetically over at Chrissy and patted her knee to let her know there were no hard feelings. “Oh, it’s not that Chrissy it’s just-“ Stopping herself, Janet impulsively looked over at the bathroom door behind which Jack was. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. It’s over now.” The bet was over, that is. These difficult feelings, however, were not. Sighing yet again Janet went over to the bathroom door and knocked. “Jack, can I talk to you?”

“Did you bring Grace back?” He called from behind the door.

“No, Jack, I did not bring Grace back,” she replied impatiently.

Jack opened the door with a look on his face that read both anger and sadness. “This is all your fault, you know. If it weren’t for this stupid bet Grace would still be here!”

“My fault? The stupid bet was your idea! And you were the one that had to go on saying how women had no self-control!”

“They don’t!” Jack yelled, motioning to Chrissy who was now proceeding to lick the cake off of her fingers, unaware of any quarrel. She looked up and smiled guiltily when she noticed the two of them looking at her.

Janet made her way after Jack as he walked to his bedroom to get changed. He stopped her short as he quickly turned around and said, “You know, come to think of it…this bet was between me and Chrissy. You didn’t have to give anything up.”

Janet backed away a bit, fearing where he was going with this. “Yeah, so…”

“Well, why weren’t you involved?”

“I, uh…I…oh, I don’t know! What difference does it make?” And with that, Janet turned and made her way to her own room.

“What’s up with her?” Jack asked Chrissy with a look of confusion on his face, and she replied with a shrug.

“Janet?” Jack called as he knocked on her door.

“Go away!”

But the door wasn’t locked, and Jack made his way into the room where he found Janet sitting on her bed flipping through a magazine that she obviously wasn’t really reading. Sighing, she slammed the magazine shut and looked up at Jack. “What do you want?” she asked with an eye roll.

Before he answered, Jack’s mind wandered once more to what he felt was the mystery that was Janet. Women were complicated, sure…but she-she was something else. Stubborn, difficult, and often times she made absolutely no sense to Jack. And despite all of this, he did find her endearing. Finally he said, “Sorry for snapping at you. It’s just…it was Grace! Did you see the body on that girl?”

Janet said nothing but just stared angrily at him.

Sitting down next to her, Jack said “Okay, okay that aside…I guess I’m just curious. What would you have given up for the bet?”

Sighing, Janet kicked her pride aside for a moment and looked up at Jack. “This isn’t lent, Jack, it wasn’t about giving anything up.”

“Well then enlighten me, Janet, what was it about?”

Finally managing to let out a chuckle about the ridiculousness of it all, Janet said “It’s about how stubborn and jealous I am.”

“Jealous of what?”

“Of-of everything Jack. Oh I don’t know…everyone has their insecurities, huh?”

With unspoken agreement, Jack realized that the bet really was between him and Janet after all. It was the two of them that were so passionate about it. Chrissy was merely a tool that the two of them were using. He looked over at Janet. “Women have plenty of self control,” he said, smiling at her.

Janet looked up at him and smiled back. “Do you really mean that?” She asked, for it was all she really wanted to hear as far as the bet was concerned.

“Of course. Because I know that if they didn’t, you and Chrissy would be all over me.”

“Oh!” Janet yelled angrily, but a smile formed on her face as she playfully threw a pillow at Jack.

Jack had no idea why he was suddenly not angry at that moment, but he figured it had something to do with the fact that he sensed something in Janet that, in some odd way, he could relate to. And whether or not he would admit it to himself, it was not Grace or any other random girl he was after: it was affection. For he, too, did have his insecurities. Janet, it seemed, was one of the few women that never allowed him to take those insecurities out on her, which he often did by flirting with every woman he could find. Confused again, but smiling nonetheless, he made his way out the door as Janet stayed where she was, shaking her head with amusement and left to contemplate her relationship with Jack Tripper once more.

[sunshinefizzy]

Only one thing to say:

Excellent!!!

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Thanks! Here's Chapter 5:

Chapter 5: Trust the People You Love

December 1979

Well that was that. If you couldn’t trust your two best friends, who could you trust? Unable to look at Chrissy any longer, Janet slammed down her coffee mug and made her way to her the living room. She had always feared Jack and Chrissy having an affair, but she had never expected it to actually happen. And they wanted her to move out! They were crazy! If it were their undoing she’d stay in the apartment, what did she care anymore? And as she sat there, she could feel the cracks forming in her heart, ready for it to break and fall apart completely. What fool would save their heart for Jack Tripper, when it was very clear he couldn’t be trusted? And when it was very clear he had no feelings toward her.

And then Jack had the nerve to be upset and act like he had no idea what was going on. Typical! “He could stay at the Regal Beagle forever, for all I care!” she thought, only partially meaning it.

But Janet knew she wasn’t only angry because she just may or may not have feelings for Jack; she was also angry because her best friend, someone she had trusted more than anyone else in the whole world, had gone behind her back when they had had an agreement. Thinking back to that day at the pier a couple of years ago, she recalled Chrissy say herself that it wouldn’t be right for two roommates to have an affair because it would make the third feel awkward. Well, it was worse than awkward. It was making her feel as though she was losing two of the most important people in her life.

On the other side of the misunderstanding, Chrissy continued sitting in the kitchen hoping for Janet to come back and at least apologize to her. How could her two best friends go behind her back like that? “Going for a glass of water my eye!” she thought, referring to Janet’s explanation for leaving the bedroom last night. And they wanted her to move out! They were crazy!

Sighing, Chrissy picked up the dishes and got up to place them in the sink. It wasn’t that she cared for Jack. There had always been a silly little crush, but that was all it really was: a silly little crush. What bothered her most was being lied to by her two best friends. It killed poor Chrissy to think that she was unimportant enough for Jack and Janet to kick her to the curb for some fling. “It has to be a fling because Jack and Janet together just doesn’t make any sense,” she thought, making her way back to the chair to sit down. But with a second thought, she stopped herself. “Does it?” Even though she was the prime source of Jack’s flirtatious attacks, (and she couldn’t quite say that she didn’t enjoy it once in awhile, for the fun of it) Chrissy often felt that she was missing out on some sort of strange connection that was shared between Jack and Janet, and perhaps she was just a bit jealous of it, to the point where she often just tried to ignore it.

Frowning, though not necessarily upset about the possible fact, Chrissy thought that perhaps the two were serious about each other. And who was she to be angry about that?

Making her way toward the kitchen door to tell all of this to Janet, she stopped once more. She knew she wasn’t the smartest person in the world and the fact that Jack and Janet had hidden so much from her only made her feel more insecure about often being so oblivious to the world around her. And it struck a chord. Pouting and trying her best not to shed any tears, Chrissy decided that she wasn’t going to play the good guy just yet.

Sitting on the other side of the door, Janet had the exact same sentiments.

______________________________

The girls both kissed Jack, happy and relieved they had both been wrong about each other and about him. And while Jack was relieved that the entire misunderstanding was settled, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t still upset about how the two girls never seemed to trust him.

After the Janet and Chrissy had pulled away, Jack looked up at them both and sighed. “Do you girls really think that badly of me that you would think I would try and have an affair with one of you behind the other’s back?”

Janet looked at Jack guiltily. It was true that he was always playing the part of the sex starved maniac, but she knew that he really wasn’t…at least not completely. “We were wrong, Jack. Honestly, you’re right. It’s so important to be able to trust the ones you love.” And Chrissy nodded in agreement.

“Well good. Because I love you two so much,” Jack said, smiling at them both. “And to make it up to me, I’d say I deserve a big kiss from both of you.”

“Oh Jack, you are something else!” Janet said with mock anger, but before she could protest further, Jack had grabbed her and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Looking on, Chrissy thought back to her possible realization earlier. So there wasn’t an affair, true, but whether or not Jack or Janet, or both, realized it, Chrissy was now allowing herself to admit that she saw something there. Shaking her head with amusement, Chrissy sighed and said, “You know, sometimes I think I’m the only one that makes any sense around here!” which prompted Jack to drag her onto the floor alongside he and Janet, where they had ended up, and kiss her, too.

Laughing, Janet got up and regained herself, “Alright, break it up break it up!”

“Hey, it’s only fair that you both get your turn with the sexiest man in the room,” Jack said getting up, with a sly grin on his face.

“But you’re the only man in the room,” Chrissy replied.

“Exactly,” retorted Janet, causing Jack to chase after her and tickle her. Laughing, Janet noticed that she had recognized this particular scene. Jack always seemed to enjoy tickling Janet, and she knew that she certainly enjoyed it back. But at the same time, she also always noticed the look on Chrissy’s face whenever she “caught” them in one of their moments.

The smile on her face began to fade and she pulled away from Jack whose own smile faded in response. “Something wrong?” He asked.

Janet looked up at Chrissy and then back at Jack. “Nah, everything’s fine,” she said faking a smile.

“Well, then on that note I have to go get ready for my date tonight. Anna the Animal…they say she’s a real wild one,” Jack said looking up and licking his lips and then headed to the bedroom as the girls looked on rolling their eyes.

Ruffling through his dresser to find something to wear, Jack still couldn’t get his mind off of how Janet and Chrissy so easily believed he would go behind one’s back to have an affair with the other. Did he appear to be that low of a person, to be that untrustworthy? “Moi?” He thought angrily before remembering he was about to go on a date with someone called “Anna the Animal,” after all.

Sitting down to put a new pair of socks on, he sighed. Suppose he did appear untrustworthy. Did that mean he really was? Of course he wasn’t. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Jack’s thoughts shifted to Janet, which seemed to be happening more and more often lately. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was the fact that she continuously challenged him in some way without realizing it, which forced him to reflect on himself as a person. He realized he invoked some sort of jealousy in both Chrissy and Janet, as they did in him. It was only normal, he supposed, to have such tension in a two women, one man living arrangement. But with Janet he saw it more. Much more. She never seemed to want to trust him.

He thought back to certain times when she displayed this lack of trust. About a year ago she had mentioned “jealousy and insecurity.” Jealous. Jealous of what?

As he finished fastening his tie, Jack walked back out into the living room where only Chrissy remained.

“How do I look?” He asked, his mind only half focused on receiving an opinion.

“You look great Jack! Only…”

“Only what?”

“Your tie,” she said, making a face.

Jack looked down to see that he had tied his tie on wrong. Groaning, he pulled it off and went back into his room. Living with two women, how could he ever think straight, or tie a tie straight for that matter?

__________________________________

Sitting down at the kitchen table with a pad and pen, Janet rested her head in her hand while she tried to figure out what she was going to write in her letter to Dear Abby. She didn’t usually trust advice columns, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Or perhaps she just needed to get her emotions down onto paper so that she knew they were real and that she wasn’t crazy.

She had never planned to fall for someone that she couldn’t, or shouldn’t, have. She supposed nobody ever really planned on who they fell in love with. Well, there it was. She had said it, in her head anyway. She was in love with Jack Tripper. But could even Dear Abby try and work her way through her puzzling relationship with him?

The room was quiet. She heard Jack and Chrissy talking in the living room and hoped that neither of them would enter the kitchen anytime soon. Biting her lip, she picked up the pen that contained the words “The Regal Beagle” on it and put it to the paper.

As if on cue, Chrissy burst into the kitchen to grab a snack.

“I’m writing a letter to my sister!” Janet yelled impulsively, although Chrissy hadn’t even asked.

“Oh…great! Send Jenny my best,” Chrissy smiled with a confused look on her face, and, after deciding on an apple, made her way back out of the room.

Looking back at the door to make sure Chrissy, or Jack, weren’t about to burst in again, she turned and threw the pen down, sat back and folded her arms, and sighed. “Oh, what does Dear Abby know, anyhow?” she thought. “What does anyone really know when it comes to love?”

There was one thing she did know: that Jack and Chrissy were the best friends that she had ever had. Was love worth risking that for, especially a love that she doubted was returned? No, that she knew was not returned. Thinking back to how upset Chrissy had appeared earlier at the thought of her and Jack together, she decided that love was not worth risking any of that for. So often Janet’s logic seemed to win battles against her heart.

But whether or not she realized it, no battle had been won quite yet.

Walking out of the apartment to make his way to the Regal Beagle to meet “Anna the Animal,” Jack’s thoughts were more focused on Janet than they were on his date. He had not the slightest clue that he might have feelings for Janet in return. He wouldn’t pay attention to the possibility because he was so used to blocking any possibility with a woman like Janet out of his mind. So there he was, happily walking on to the Beagle. Ignorance is bliss, after all. But sometimes, ignorance can only last for so long.

[janet42]

I love your story Pleasant Tomorrow. Great Job!

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Thanks Janet! Here's the next chapter:

Chapter 6: Ignoring Me, a Friend

February, 1980

Jack wouldn’t allow himself to fully comprehend what was going on. Subconsciously, he seemed to subdue the idea because he refused to believe it was happening…but it was.

Stepping into Larry’s apartment for one of their poker nights, Jack noticed the lights were turned off so he switched them on. In front of him was a sight he didn’t care to see every day; it was either Larry making out with a blonde with thick, curly hair, or it was Larry making out with a poodle, Jack couldn’t quite tell from the back. He decided on the former as poodles weren’t exactly Larry’s type.

“Larry!” Jack yelled, “What’s going on, you said the guys would be over soon!”

Jumping up and pulling away from the woman, Larry smoothed his shirt out and looked at Jack. “They are, they are! They’ll be here any second.”

“Good.”

“Uh, I hope you don’t mind that the ‘guys’ are girls, Jacko. I sort of forgot about poker night and invited them here instead.”

“Larry! You always do this! I mean, I love women as much as the next guy but sometimes a you just need a break!”

A devilish grin formed across Larry’s face as he thought about his friend’s living situation with Janet and Chrissy. “I bet you do, Jack. I bet you do.”

Sighing, Jack replied, “Come on, Larry, I’m serious!”

“Alright, pal, alright…but it might make you feel better to know that Debbie Carey is one of the girls I invited.”

Jack gulped and smiled at the name as he began to loosen up at the thought of the woman. “You mean, the one with the long legs and the-,” stopping, Jack motioned a large chest with his hands.

“Uh huh,” Larry smiled.

“Hurt me,” Jack said and jumped over the sofa to get to the poker table quicker.

Later, as Larry was dealing the cards, Jack couldn’t help but notice the hand on his knee that just wouldn’t let up. Looking over, he smiled at Debbie and looked back at his cards as he fidgeted his entire leg so that Debbie would stop for just one second. She didn’t, and Jack let out uncomfortable chuckles sporadically throughout the game.

“You doing alright over there, Jack?” Larry asked with a grin on his face, as he really knew what was going on.

“Peachy, Larry, just peachy,” Jack replied with a scowl.

Jack had always had a thing…a thing where, as much of a womanizer as he was, when women came on strongly to him, he began to panic. And panic he did. After letting out one more holler while Debbie began to roam further up his leg, Jack excused himself and made his way to the kitchen ‘for a glass of water,’ leaving a frowning Debbie behind.

It wasn’t that Debbie wasn’t his type-his type being a curvaceous woman who wanted sex just a bit more than the average female-it was that, when a woman came on strongly to him, he suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one in control. It worked the other way, too, of course. When a woman would show absolutely no interest in him at all, he would again feel as though he’d lost control…and that scared him. Women like Janet, for instance.

He stopped as he noticed her name pop into his mind once again. It wasn’t that he had a crush on her, he assured himself, but rather that-well, he really didn’t quite know. Perhaps it was because she always left for him the thrill of the “you can look, but you can’t touch.” And sometimes even looking wasn’t acceptable.

If there was more to all of this, Jack didn’t dare look into the situation because he feared the possible conclusions. He wasn’t looking for answers; he was only looking for a way to push the confusion out of his mind and to forget it altogether.

Sighing, he reluctantly made his way back out into the living room where Debbie Carey awaited.

______________________________________

The next day, Jack found himself reliving those same emotions all over again. As soon as he realized what she was possibly up to, Jack found himself deeply upset, hurt even. This wasn’t like her, and as his mind tried to comprehend what was going on, he began to panic. Janet was making the biggest mistake of her life.

But listening to Chrissy, who at this particular moment suddenly decided to start making sense by stating that she couldn’t control her friend’s life, Jack had to admit to himself that it was Janet’s life after all. He couldn’t stop her from hiring a father so that she could have a child, if that’s what she really wanted.

He sighed. He had to talk to her.

He noticed the jealousy building up inside of him, although he hated to admit it. He did have his morals after all. But she couldn’t have at least asked him? Her best friend? Were mere strangers more worth her time than he was? And why exactly was this whole thing bothering him so much anyway?

As these questions and more enveloped his mind, Jack pulled Janet into the kitchen. If she was going to do this, she was going to do this with him.

They awkwardly sat in the kitchen as Jack tried to explain what was going through his mind and a confused Janet listened. It was hard for him to even talk about such a thing with her because thoughts that he had been trying to push out of his mind became more difficult to ignore. And when Jack saw that she finally understood, and still turned him down, he felt as though he were ready to scream. “Not right for the job?” He thought, completely dumbfounded. Did Janet really think that poorly of him?

He did try to stop himself, however. Instead of thinking about himself, he had to think about her. If this was what she wanted, he knew he shouldn’t interfere…and it hurt to admit it. It hurt to think that any of this was happening.

Still, the concern did not go away. He cared too much about her, and so did Chrissy. And when Chrissy finally pulled through (after having a fit and yelling at the man Janet had chosen for the job), and she and Jack realized that Janet was only merely redecorating the bedroom, Jack found himself a bit more relieved than he had cared to admit. And then he wondered if it was going a bit too far to hope that Janet didn’t remember what he was really offering in the kitchen.

____________________________

Certainly there was nothing going on between she and Jack, but that didn’t stop Janet from continuing to worry about Chrissy. She had come to the conclusion that there were two reasons that she accepted no funny business from Jack: fear and guilt. Luckily, it was easy enough to put on the act; what wasn’t so easy was trying to make her feelings go away altogether.

And sometimes she just couldn’t help but play with Jack a little…especially when she was so confused she couldn’t think straight. At that moment it was a bit of an impulse to jump up and remind Jack of what he had offered in the kitchen earlier. When she had finally found the issue resolved enough to sit back and think, she recalled how he had acted, recalled what he was really talking about. It was endearing to her, honorable…confusing-the concern on his face, the pain in his eyes. Had it really bothered him that much to think of her doing such a thing…without him?

Of course, she’d only be reminding him of it because she would reveal to him that she was only talking about redecorating his room as well. It was a game she was playing. It was all really a game, wasn’t it, this mess of emotions they were living with?

Janet laughed at the way Jack acted after she had flirted with him, making him think she was pulling him to his bedroom to have her way with him. Although he now knew what she really meant, he was still a bit shaken up. She had noticed that about him; if he wasn’t the one leading, he was terrified.

“Come on Janet,” Jack said in a high pitched voice, still a bit nervous, and then corrected himself, “Come on Janet, my room looks just fine.”

“For one, the wallpaper is absolutely hideous,” Janet said, ignoring him. “And those curtains have got to go.”

“I like those curtains!” He moaned.

Ignoring him once more, and making sure Chrissy had left the doorway, Janet turned around to face Jack. “Jack?” she asked, suddenly serious.

“Yeah?” He asked as concern filled his eyes. Now what was she up to?

“Thank you,” she said, gazing into his eyes as deep appreciation filled her own.

He didn’t bother to ask, because he understood what she was thanking him for. He did offer up his entire life for her, for a baby, after all. Without saying anything, he pulled her in and hugged her and they held each other in silence for those few moments as thoughts entangled their minds, thoughts they both wished would go away so that they could just stand there in that utter silence, let that and only that be their guide.

But the thoughts did come, and silence ultimately lost.

On one hand, Janet’s fears latched onto the fact that as much as Jack cared for her, he would never fall for her. No, not a girl like her. And she thought about how, even if he did, there would always be that fear of destroying the friendship they already had to a simple little fight. And she thought about Chrissy, and how when Janet started to jokingly flirt with Jack about earlier, pretending to want something other than to redecorate his room, she began to look upset once more.

On the other, even more complicated emotions swept through Jack. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall for Janet, and whenever he found himself getting close, he denied it. The complex situation it would create was one Jack didn’t even want to think about. He had decided long ago that a woman like Janet was too good for him, an idea that was confirmed for a moment earlier when she had said he wasn’t good enough, albeit for different reasons. But on top of that, he cared so much about her that he hated the thought of ever hurting her in any way if anything were to happen between them.

Pulling back again, but still holding her in his arms, Jack looked into Janet’s eyes and smiled, and she smiled in return. For now there were no answers, no explanations. For now all there was, was two friends who truly, deeply cared for one another. For now Jack didn’t want any answers-not yet. At that moment, the silence sufficed.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Chapter 7: Moonlight and Christmas Cheer

1980

Janet sat in the living room on the table next to the kitchen door as she smiled at the stories her friend was telling her on the phone about back home. Although it was easy to zone out when Chrissy began to tell a story, Janet was just happy to simply hear her voice.

“Oh Janet, and then there’s my mother’s cat, Louis. You know, I don’t think he likes me very much but I don’t mind because there’s still Mimi the poodle. I never really cared for poodles, but I just love Mimi…” Chrissy went on…and on, causing Janet to temporarily pull the receiver away from her ear and stare at it for a second.

“…of course, I’ve never really found fish all that exciting so I’m glad we don’t have any of those,” she finished.

“Well, Chrissy, I’m so glad to hear things are going well at home. Jack and I really miss you.”

Pouting, Chrissy said, “Yeah, I miss you guys too. I wish my parents didn’t live so far away. I better get going though, these calls are so expensive.”

Frowning on the other end of the line, Janet said “Yeah, they sure are. Anyway, Chrissy, give your mother our best.”

“Oh, I will. Goodbye,” she said, and hung up when Janet repeated the same. Sitting on the countertop in the kitchen, Chrissy swung her legs and looked around the room with little else to do at the moment. She hated that about telephones: feeling as though you were right next to someone one second, and then with one click they disappear.

She sighed as she jumped off of the counter, feeling a bit torn and wondering if she did want to go back to Santa Monica after all. When she had left to go take care of her mother at home, there had been no question in her mind that she would return. But now that she was home, now that she had reconnected with old friends…and then his face flashed into her mind again and she smiled. She hadn’t expected to cross paths with David Cheer again…not ever. He had been her first serious boyfriend back in high school. They were inseparable, and her friends had loved to remind her that if she and David were to ever get married, her name would go from Christmas Snow to Christmas Cheer. It had made perfect sense…until he went off to college on the east coast.

But when she had met up with him again, single and confusing Chrissy once more, everything that she had once felt for him suddenly rose to the surface again. It was as if no time had passed and she wasn’t a day over eighteen, and she simply couldn’t turn him down for a date.

Smiling at the thought of love, Chrissy was reminded of another reason to stay. Perhaps if Jack and Janet were given the time alone, they’d realize what she already did.

____________________________

Janet counted out the money from her paycheck and set aside most of it for the rent. It was difficult not having a third roommate-for practical and emotional reasons. She missed having a little spare cash, but she also really missed her best friend.

Putting her hands on her head and sighing, Janet laid back on the couch. The apartment was eerily silent and she hated it. She would have loved to get out that weekend, but no money meant no fun. And just where was Jack anyway? He hadn’t been home when she had gotten back from work, and there was no note left. Worry began to engulf her until, as if on cue, Jack walked into the apartment with a dreamy look on his grinning face.

Janet rolled her eyes and got up. “Alright let me guess. You were just on a date with the most gorgeous woman you have ever seen, with a figure to die for, and of course my personal favorite, she’s so different from any other girl you’ve ever been on a date with.”

“You put it that way, Janet, and you take all of the fun out of it.”

“Oh!” Janet said, laughing.

“Seriously, were you spying on me or something?” He said smiling and headed to his room to hang his jacket up.

“No, Jack, unfortunately I couldn’t afford to spy on you. With Chrissy gone we can barely even afford the rent! How on earth did you find the money to take a girl out on a date?”

“Oh, Jack Tripper always finds a way,” he said with a sly grin on his face as he walked back out of his room.

“You borrowed money from Larry again, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” he said and frowned.

“Well, honestly Jack, you can’t keep going on borrowing money at a time like this!”

“I know Janet, but Katherine Osinski…she is really something else.”

“Oh, God, Jack and so was Marsha Shaw, Jenny Berrett, and Helen Trawley.”

“Well yeah, but…”

“And Rita Clemmons and Carol Reilly…”

“Alright, alright I get it!” He said, and then put on a dramatic pout. “So, I guess what you’re saying is I can’t be serious about women.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Jack, which is why it’s very wasteful when you’re taking out woman after woman on dates when we have no money!”

“Well I’m plenty dedicated to women. You nag on me enough, it’s as if we’ve been married for years!” At those last few words, Jack stopped himself. He looked at Janet. “And it’s as if I’ve been married to Chrissy for years too, of course, for the same reasons.”

Janet looked at him and nodded. She wasn’t feeling up to trying to comprehend what he had just said. Instead she just said, “And Chrissy’s gone.”

Jack looked at her and noted the sadness in her voice. Perhaps he shouldn’t be making such light of the situation, going out and spending every last dollar he had. He missed Chrissy, too. “She’s not gone, Janet. She’ll be coming back as soon as her mother gets well again.”

Janet looked up at Jack, now with unshed tears forming in her eyes. Forcing them away the best she could, she went on, “Jack, Chrissy called earlier. She’s engaged. Our little Chrissy’s getting married.” Now a genuine smile formed on her face.

Jack formed a grin from ear to ear and then let out a laugh of joy. “Little Chrissy is getting married? That’s wonderful!” But just as quickly as the smile had formed, it faded away. “So she’s not coming back.”

“No, Jack,” Janet said, half smiling, and half battling away the tears. “She’s not coming back.”

_____________________________

The time span during which Jack and Janet were without a third roommate opened new doors in their relationship. New doors that, of course, led to other doors that were still left unopened. Things were changing on the inside; on the outside, the masquerade continued.

The bathroom door opened and Janet ran out with a towel in her hand, finding herself in front of Mr. Furley, who was standing in the living room.

“Oh hi, Mr. Furley, I didn’t hear you come in,” Janet said with a smile.

Before Mr. Furley could reply, Jack shouted from the bathroom, where he had just gotten done taking a shower. “Janet, give me that towel back!”

Janet rolled her eyes and looked at the closed door to the bathroom. “Not until you give me it, Jack!”

Furley’s eyes bulged, assuming the worst of what ‘it’ could be referring to. “G-g-g-give you what?” he asked Janet on the verge of hyperventilation.

Janet turned back to him to reply, but Jack called from the bathroom again. “Janet, I am in here stark naked. Give me back that towel and then I’ll give it to you!”

Janet heaved a sigh. “Oh, fine!” she said, and walked over to the door, opening it only a crack so she could throw the towel in to Jack. “Now, what was it you wanted, Mr. Furley?” Janet said as she turned around, only to find that Furley had fainted. “Oh, Mr. Furley! Mr. Furley, are you alright?” She cried, going over to him and fanning him with her hand.

“Here you go, you big baby,” Jack said walking out of the bathroom, handing Janet her razor.

Mr. Furley quickly came to and Janet helped him up. “Oh, Mr. Furley, are you alright?” she asked again.

“Am I alright? Better question is, are you two alright?” He cried, pointing an accusing finger at the two. “Now I don’t want any funny business going on around here, you hear? This is a respectable building. I’ll have it stay that way, or you two are out. O-U-T out!” He cried, trying his best to seem threatening but failing, and walked out of the door still shaken up.

Janet and Jack both glanced at each other quizzically. “The only thing respectable about this building is the fact that he decided to retire those patchwork pants he used to wear,” Jack said sarcastically, causing Janet to laugh in reply.

“Anyway, Jack, that ought to teach you a lesson to never borrow anything of mine again without asking.”

“Alright, alright. However can I ever make it up to you?” Jack jokingly pleaded.

“Lunch at the Beagle on you,” she replied, as if she had planned the idea all along.

Jack shrugged. “Deal.”

___________________________

“Hey guys!” Larry called to Jack and Janet after chatting with a shapely red head at the bar.

“Hey Lar,” they both replied simultaneously.

Larry looked at the two and chuckled. “You know, Jack, the funniest thing just happened,” he said.

Jack looked up at Larry not expecting anything interesting. “What’s that, Larry?”

With a sly grin on his face, Larry continued, “Well, I was talking to that red head over there, and she mentioned that you were cute, but she figured you and Janet were together or something.”

Jack, having had looked over at the woman and noticed how beautiful she was, shrieked, “And did you tell her the truth, Larry?”

“Yeah, or course!”

“Oh,” Jack grinned, getting ready to get up and go talk to the woman.

“Told her six years, two kids, and going strong. Congrats buddy,” he laughed, smacked Jack on the back, winked at Janet, and headed back over to the woman to get her number himself.

“Ugh, that Larry. What a sleaze!” Janet said.

“But he certainly has great taste in women,” Jack said shaking his head and looking over at them.

“Sure, if you go for that sort of thing,” Janet said, looking into her glass of soda.

Jack looked at Janet’s sudden sullen expression. What his type was, he really didn’t know anymore. He finally caught her eyes and stared deeply into them, concerned and searching for any meaning he could find. “Not always,” he replied, and looked down to find that his hand was now placed on hers. Her eyes did that to him; they made him forget what he feared.

Jack quickly pulled his hand away and managed an awkward smile, and Janet returned one. She wasn’t quite sure why he had chosen to say what he’d just said while caressing her hand and looking into her eyes…but she refused to look too deeply into signs that had the possibility of meaning nothing.

But as she lay in bed later that night, she found that the simple incident wouldn’t leave her alone. Endless possibilities clawed at her mind and refused to let her sleep. Before she knew it, she was outside by the steps looking at the clear night sky which allowed the moon to shine down magnificently.

Jack lay in bed as well, wondering why he had said what he had said. He was wide awake; even sleep wasn’t consuming him as much as his emotions were, as much as his fear of falling in love with Janet was-and he was, although he continued to deny it.

He sighed, got up, and headed to the living room, hoping to clear his mind with a midnight snack…but there she was, outside gazing at the stars, and just as confused as he was. smiled and walked over to the door, leaning on the siding, looking from her to the stars, and then back at her again. She sensed that he was there, and turned around to look at him, prompting him to walk over to her.

She smiled and turned back around, looking up once more. Silence ruled for a moment before Janet spoke. “Ever since I was a little girl…there’s always been something about the night sky and all the stars. It makes me feel as if all of our troubles are so small.” She looked back at him. Perhaps she would find some meaning in his eyes as well.

And he was lost again. He couldn’t think, couldn’t question or fear. Her eyes had stolen those things away once more. “I prefer the moon to the stars,” he said, staring into her eyes. “You look absolutely lovely under the moonlight.” Lost. And he continued to search her eyes before he slowly leaned in to kiss her, their faces soon within centimeters of each other’s. But before their lips could touch, Janet leaned her head down to stop it from happening.

“What are you doing?” She whispered, her face still against his.

Jack looked down as well and whispered, “I don’t know.” And he didn’t. He hadn’t planned it or even thought about it as it was about to happen. He truly didn’t know.

He backed away from her and looked up at the sky as she watched him. For now he could not fathom his problems being small, and meaning nothing…when he feared having someone in his life that meant so much to him.

____________________

Janet shut off the vacuum cleaner when the ringing of the phone gained her attention. She hopped over the cord and picked up the receiver, and before she could say ‘hello,’ heard Chrissy shrieking on the other line. “Oh Janet, it’s so wonderful to be married! I’m so glad you and Jack could make it to the wedding!”

Janet smiled. “Hi Chrissy…or should I say, ‘Mrs. Cheer?’ Oh honey, I’m so happy for you! The wedding was simply lovely and it was so wonderful to see you.”

“It was so great to see you and Jack, too. Ya know, you two haven’t changed a bit!”

Janet chuckled. “Chrissy, it had only been a few months since we last saw you.”

“Well yeah, but…” Chrissy stopped, thinking about the way that Jack and Janet had acted around each other, how they had always acted around each other, and how she was convinced that she ought to give them space, which was exactly what she had done, and then some. “How are things…with you and Jack?”

“What do you mean, Chrissy?” Janet asked, not sure why Chrissy has phrased the question that way. “Things are fine.”

“Are you two still up to your old…” and she stopped to wink, and nudge flirtatiously to show how she felt the two often acted, only Janet could obviously not see this happening.

“Chrissy, I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about.” And honestly, she didn’t…not quite in the way Chrissy was putting it.

Chrissy sighed. Perhaps she had been wrong about them all along. Perhaps there was nothing there. “So you do need a third roommate…” Chrissy trailed off, suddenly realizing that if the two weren’t going to be living alone together, which she had expected would be done if they were to become involved, that they would need a new third roommate.

“Oh, desperately, Chrissy. Jack and I are really finding it hard to make ends meet!”

Chrissy frowned, feeling very foolish for focusing on an attraction between the two that may or may not be there, and ignoring the fact that they would need money. “Oh Janet, I’ll do whatever I can to help out.”

After the two had finished their phone conversation, Chrissy sat back in her chair, even more confused than usual. Hadn’t there been something there between the two? Hadn’t she sensed it? But she didn’t dare to blatantly bring up the topic to either one of them should she be wrong and offend them. And she now found herself feeling a bit disappointed, having already come from an acceptance of the two to feeling very happy for them. Sighing, she decided that perhaps some things would always remain a mystery…a mystery that she felt wasn’t her business to unclose.

Still feeling guilty, she scraped her mind for ideas. Who did she know that needed a place to stay? And then a smiled formed on her face as it hit her; Cindy would be absolutely perfect.