"How much further?" Britta asked impatiently

"I don't know," Shirley responded. She glanced on her minivan's GPS before looking back at Abed. "Are we close? You're the only one here who's been there before."

"You make a left at the end of this road, and then it's not much further."

Jeff sighed as he leaned back in his seat, hoping this trip went well. After everything that had happened recently, everyone felt the need to get away for a bit. Sensing this, Abed suggested they all go away to Pierce's cabin for a few days. So after getting permission from Gilbert (who now owned the property), the five of them set off for a few days of relaxation in the woods.

He glanced over at Annie, who was managing to listen to her I-pod uninterruptedly as they drove over the uneven terrain. While it wasn't unusual for him to think about her, he found himself dwelling on her even since they managed to stop Greendale from being sold to Subway. Between her speech in the computer lab and what exactly had caused the door to open, there was a lot for him to work through. That's partly why he had agreed to this trip. So he could hopefully relax and turn off his brain for a few days to avoid actually working through whatever unresolved feelings he had.

"We're here," Abed called out. Jeff looked out the window as Shirley pulled up the long driveway and parked the van, his mouth almost dropping at the sight before them. The place was huge, and looked like it could be a high end bed and breakfast. And with the woods surrounding them, it was very picturesque. While he wasn't one for going into the woods and ruffing it, he could get behind it if 'ruffing it' entailed this sort of luxury.

The five of them gathered there bags, talking excitedly as they followed Abed up the porch steps. He checked under the door mat before looking in the mailbox, where he found an envelope. He opened it and pulled out a key and letter. "Dear Abed and friends," Abed read out loud. "Hope you folks enjoy your time at the cabin. Make yourselves at home, and lock up and put the key back in the mailbox when you leave. Gilbert." With that he put the envelope back in the mailbox before unlocking the door.

They stood there for a few moments, admiring the sight before them, when Shirley walked around, running her fingers over the surfaces as she went through the area. "Alright, before we settle in, let's bring in the food and the rest of the stuff first. And we should also dust, and sweep and mop the floors."

"Shirley, come on, we're on vacation," Britta whined, beating Jeff's attempt to complain.

"That doesn't mean we should live in a dirty home. Besides, Gilbert is being nice enough to give us his house for the weekend. The least we can do is leave it cleaner then it was when we got here."

"Guys, come on. If we work together we'll get it done in no time, and then we can relax" Annie said.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Jeff reluctantly agreed. They all went outside and started bring in everything from the van.

"I've been curious to see how buttered noodles taste with falafel balls. This will be a good time to test it out," Abed announced as he unpacked one of the grocery bags.

"I'll try that," Britta said. "Especially since there's no meat in that meal. I think we would all benefit if everyone tried not eating any animal products…"

"No one cares about your hippy philosophy," Jeff yelled as he put a bag in the cabin and went back outside, where Shirley was frantically looking through the van. "You need help with something?"

"I think I left the bug spray at home. It was in a red grocery bag and I can't find it. Can you please go into town and get some?"

"Wait, why do I have to go?" he asked.

"Because I have to stay here and make sure the place gets clean. Annie's fine, but Abed will get distracted, and Britta…do I really have to say it."

"You've got a point," he reluctantly agreed. "But I don't want to drive twenty minutes into town just for bug spray."

"There's a general store not far from here," Abed said as he came outside, having overheard their dilemma. He pointed towards a dirt pathway in the woods. "Me and Troy found it when we were shooting a movie here a few years ago. Just walk down the path until there's a fork and then make a left. It will lead out to a road with a store across from it."

"There, you can take a nice walk and keep us from getting eaten alive from mosquitos," Shirley told him.

"Fine," he said, figuring a walk was better than being made to clean.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I don't think this is right, Jeff thought. He continued to walk, feeling more and more like he made a mistake. When he'd gotten to the fork he couldn't remember if Abed had said to make a left or a right. He took a chance and decided to go right. But after ten minutes of walking he was beginning to think he made the wrong choice.

"If I don't see something soon I'm heading back before I get lost." He continued onward until he could see a break in the trees. Jeff hurried up ahead, expecting to see a road when he broke out of the path. Instead he saw a far different sight.

He was staring at a rounded body of water. At first he thought it was a small lake. But as he walked upward he realized it was a swollen section of a river. Each end narrowed to where the area was almost a circle with water flowing in and out of it. He walked to the edge and ran his hands through the water. He felt a current, but it was extremely slight.

The grass on the sides of the river was soft and green, and there was just enough tree overcast to offer shade and still let light bath the area. In short, it was a perfect place to kick back and relax.

Jeff took off his sandals and sat along the bank, dipping his feet in the river. He stayed there for several minutes, just enjoying the tranquility around him. He could stay here all day, just staying where he was or maybe swimming in the river.

As he sat there he wondered if he should let anyone else know about his find. Britta would somehow Britta it, and Abed would probably want to use the area to shoot a movie or reenact some scene from a film or television show. He wasn't averse to telling Shirley, except that he knew she couldn't keep a secret and would eventually tell the others of his secret spot. So if he wanted to tell someone that only left…

Jeff smirked as that thought formed in his head, mostly because he knew eliminating the others was just a formality. He wanted to show this place to Annie not because she was the only who wouldn't ruin it, but because he wanted to spend some time with her. Even though he knew it could lead to things he wasn't sure he was ready for, he still wanted to share this experience with her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What took you so long?" Shirley asked as Jeff walked inside the cabin.

"Oh, you know…" he vaguely responded as he set the plastic grocery bag down and pulled out a few cans of bug spray. "Who brought the water guns?" Jeff asked, indicating the water pistols on the table in front of him.

"They were in the closet by the front door. Abed said he and Troy brought them when they made a movie here last year," Shirley said. "Did you drag out getting the bug spray just to get out of cleaning?" she asked disapprovingly.

"Yup, you caught me," Jeff lied

"Wish I had thought of that," Britta said, earning a death glare from Shirley. Jeff took advantage of the distraction to slip downstairs. He walked past a laundry room before finding Annie in a bedroom pushing two twin beds together. "Hi."

"Hey Jeff. Would you mind grabbing an end," she indicated towards the sheet she was holding. "There's five bedrooms, so each of us gets our own room," she explained as Jeff took hold one of the ends of the sheet and helped her make up the now large bed. "Since I ended up in this room I thought it'd be fun to push the beds together and sleep in a big bed for a change. We put your bag in the room upstairs at the far end. It should give you a great view of the night sky when you sleep."

"Okay, sure." He watched her smooth out the sheets before suddenly saying, "Come with me."

Annie hands paused over the bed as she looked at Jeff. "Excuse me?"

"I found something before and I want to show it to you."

"Okay, what is it?" she asked.

"It's a surprise. Just put on your bathing suit and meet me outside in a few minutes."

Annie frowned as she looked at Jeff, feeling both curious and wary about how vague he was being. "Alright, anything else?"

"Don't tell anyone."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Come on, it's through here."

Annie sighed as she followed Jeff through the break in the trees, her exasperation immediately turning to wonder as she took in the picturesque scene before her. "It's beautiful."

"Thought you'd like it. Join me for a swim?"

"Sure." She smiled as the two of them pulled off their clothes, revealing their swimsuits underneath. Annie blushed as she felt Jeff's eyes on her, wishing she had worn a one piece suit. She glanced over at him, taking in how good he looked in his broad trunks.

"I don't know how deep it goes, so we probably shouldn't just dive in-JEFF!" She cried out as Jeff jumped right into the water. She breathed a sigh of relief as he surfaced, before yelling furiously at him. "You could have hurt yourself! What if it was only a couple feet deep and you broke something?"

"It looked deep enough when I found it earlier. It's fine. Come on in."

With that Annie jumped into the river. As she surfaced she dug her toes into the sandy bottom. If she stood on her toes she was able to raise herself to about neck level out of the water. She then kicked her legs up and swam on her back, looking up as a few birds flew by overhead. She looked around, only to see Jeff was nowhere in sight.

"Jeff?"

Annie then let out a scream as she felt something grab her leg. She kicked furiously, fearing an animal had gotten her, when Jeff suddenly surfaced. "You jerk," she yelled as she slapped his chest.

"Oh come on, you had to have known I'd do that."

"Then you should know I'm going to do this." She splashed water in his face before furiously rubbing her palms through his hair.

"Hey, quit it." He grabbed one of her wrists while rubbing his hair with the other hand. "It's going to look terrible now when it dries."

"You're on vacation Jeff. You can stand going one day without perfect hair."

"Okay. Then when you wake up tomorrow let's see you just walk around with bed head."

She rolled her eyes as she slipped out of his grasp and swam around. "This place is great. We should tell the others."

"Yeah, let's not do that."

Annie stopped swimming, frowning at that suggestion. "Why shouldn't we tell them?"

"I don't know…" Jeff wiped some water from his face to buy a few moments of trying to figure out how much truth to reveal. "It's just, if we tell them then Abed will want to either film a movie or have us reenact some scene. And you know Britta will do something to ruin it, like try and protest beaver dams or something. The less people who know about this place the better it will be."

"But, you brought me here…even though you wanted to keep it a secret."

"Yeah well…I wanted to share it with someone and I figured you were the only one who wouldn't mess it up," he said in a hopefully nonchalant tone.

She swam towards him, frowning at his explanation. "So that's the only reason I'm here? Because I was just the best candidate?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I thought you'd like it here."

Annie sighed a bit sadly, knowing there was more to Jeff bringing her here then he was letting on. As they looked at each other Jeff splashed water in her face. She giggled in spite of herself and splashed him right back, leading to an epic splash fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After swimming for a while they laid down on the grass, letting the sun dry them off (neither of them had thought to bring a towel.) While they talked a little bit, they mostly stayed in comfortable silence, admiring clouds and enjoying the quiet. It wasn't until the sun started to set and their stomachs rumbled that they realized how long they had been out there. With regret they pulled on their clothes and shoes and made their way back to the cabin.

"Where have you two been?" Britta asked suspiciously as the two of them walked inside, seeing everyone sitting at the table finishing up dinner.

"We went exploring and just lost track of time," Jeff said as they sat down and filled their plates with food. Britta and Shirley seemed to accept their answer, while Abed gave them one of his unnerving 'Abed' looks. "Can you stop looking at me like that while I'm eating?" Jeff asked.

"Okay. We're watching Cabin in the Woods later. It seems appropriate given the circumstance."

"That's good," Annie said uncertainly, since she wasn't the biggest fan of scary movies.

The group cleaned up after Jeff and Annie finished eating, and then settled in to watch the movie. While the action unfolded on the screen Annie and Jeff kept sharing covert looks at each over, wordlessly telling each other how much they enjoyed their time at their secret spot.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Annie, wake up."

Annie sighed in content as she stretched under the sheets. "Mark…" Her eyes opened as she realized Jeff was standing next to her bed. "Jeff?"

"Who's Mark?" he asked playfully.

"I…I was having a dream where Mark Ruffalo and I were spies…" She groaned as at the annoying grin on Jeff's face. "Shut up. What time is it?"

"Just after seven in the morning. No one else is up."

"So why did you wake me up?" she asked as she got out of bed, noticing Jeff was already dressed.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go back to our spot. We can swim, explore the area. We can pack a lunch and make a day of it."

"Won't the others notice if we're gone all day?" she asked.

"We'll leave a note and say we went hiking. Come on, what do you say?"

She smiled at the prospect of spending the day with Jeff at their secret spot. "Okay. But I do have one idea of something else we can do."

"Okay, what is it?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff ran through the woods as fast as he could, hiding behind a tree to compose himself. He looked around as a shot of water flew past him, hitting a spot on the tree right next to his face. He looked around, seeing Annie behind a nearby tree, her water gun at the ready. She squeezed off another shot as Jeff dove to the side and fired his gun at Annie, hitting her in the stomach. "20 points."

"Jeff, we said 10 points for hitting the torso, 20 for limbs, and 30 points for the head. That was just 10."

"That doesn't make any sense. Shouldn't it be more points for hitting the stomach and chest?" he asked. "That's technically a kill shot."

"We're fighting with water guns, so no one's getting killed. And legs and arms are worth more because they're harder to hit then someone's body."

Taking advantage of her lapsed state Jeff charged at her, firing his gun right at her. She quickly fired back, yelling like a female Rambo. They hit each other multiple times before both their guns ran out of water. "Well that's a quick way to take out the enemy," Jeff exclaimed.

"I think that was more of a kamikaze mission on both of our parts." She frowned as she squeezed water out of the bottom of her shirt. "My clothes are soaked now."

"We're going swimming anyway. We can just let them dry while we're in the river."

"That works. Race you." With that she took off for the river. Jeff laughed as he raced after her, determined not to lose.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thank you," Annie said as she accepted the peanut butter cover cracker Jeff handed her. After swimming for a while they got out of the water and broke into the picnic they had brought with them. It wasn't anything fancy (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter, and a thermos of lemonade), but neither of them cared. They just enjoyed how their vacation was shaping up.

"I feel like I'm on summer break," Jeff said as he swallowed a mouthful of his sandwich. "I will say, one good thing about having going to Greendale was getting a summer vacation. I forgot how much I liked having two months to just relax. It was like being a kid again."

"I wouldn't know," Annie said simply. "I never really had a summer break growing up."

"Come on, every kid gets a summer break."

"My parents wouldn't let me have one. When I was little they'd enroll me in an academic camp every summer so I could continue learning. Then when I began junior high they made me take summer classes. So I pretty much was doing school work all year round."

Jeff sighed deeply at hearing yet another tidbit in the childhood Annie had to endure. "That's terrible."

"I didn't mind it…sometimes," she admitted. "I love learning and I liked most of the classes I took. But I would sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a regular summer break growing up. Like waking up late and swimming in a pool and watching TV until I was sick of it."

"That sounds like most of my summers growing up," Jeff told her.

She chuckled at hearing that. "If I have kids, I'm not going to deprive them of a summer," she said thoughtfully. "They'll have their whole lives to work year round. They should be able to have months to just relax and do whatever they want to do." She took a sip of her lemonade as she looked around. "I'm really glad we're here. Even if it's only for a few days…it's nice to have a chance to just enjoy ourselves."

"It's still surprising to hear Annie Edison say she loves doing nothing."

"Hey, I'm full of surprises mister." She gently shoved Jeff's shoulder, where he caught her hand and held it for a moment, rubbing his fingers over the back of her hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Marco!" Annie called out.

"Polo!" Jeff yelled back.

Annie swam in the direction she thought Jeff's voice had come from, listening carefully for sounds of Jeff swimming. She crept along, calling out 'Marco' and following Jeff's responses.

"Marco!"

"Polo!"

Her ears perked up as she realized Jeff's yell was much closer than before. She quickly swam forward, now able to hear him swimming away. She waved her hands and felt them hit something. "Okay, okay, you got me!" Jeff yelled.

"Got yeah!" she happily cried out as she opened her eyes. "Your turn."

"We've both gone twice now. Let's call it a draw."

"Fine, then that means I win," she said playfully.

"How do you figure that?"

"I caught you twice mister, so I win."

"Yeah, and I caught you twice too. So we're even."

"No, I let you win the first time, so you only caught me once," Annie revealed.

"You didn't let me win," Jeff insisted. "I caught you fair and square."

"No. I let you catch me the first time because you were getting frustrated. So technically that doesn't count."

"Okay, first of all, I wasn't getting frustrated. And second, even if you did let me catch you, that still counts. We're even."

He quit arguing and looked past her as Annie started fidgeting with one of the cups of her bikini top. "What are you doing?"

"I think I got a leaf or something in my suit." She groaned in annoyance as she adjusted her suit, not taking into account how she was essentially feeling herself up in front of Jeff. "Sometimes it's annoying swimming in a bikini."

"If you were by yourself I'd say just take it off."

Annie stopped fidgeting as she looked at Jeff. "Wait, you mean…swim naked?"

"Yes Annie, that's what they call it when you swim without a bathing suit on."

"Don't condescend me Jeff." She blushed as the thought entered her mind. "I've never done that before.

"I have. It's pretty fun."

"Of course you have," she said smoothly.

"Why did you say it like that?" Jeff asked.

"I'm just not surprised in the least that Jeff Winger has skinny dipped. I bet women have just jumped at the chance to do that."

"Not that I need to defend myself, but skinny dipping doesn't have to be sexual," he said, even though he'd never swam naked with a woman where it didn't go in that direction. "Once you're both in the water you really don't see anything unless your both underwater. It's not much different from just regular swimming."

Annie was silent as she swam around thoughtfully. Just when Jeff figured she was off the topic she said, "If I decided to do it."

"Do what, wait?" Jeff asked. "Are you saying you want to-"

"IF," she heavily stressed, "I decided to try swimming naked, it would have to be when I know we're alone."

"Annie, look around you. We've been alone all day."

"Yes, but someone from the group could come here. It wouldn't be that hard for them to follow that path and find us. Or someone else from another cabin or a camp site could come here. If we did it, it would have to be at night when everyone is asleep."

"You're serious," Jeff asked in astonishment. "You really want to skinny dip."

"Well you said yourself it doesn't have to be sexual. Just two people swimming around without clothes on."

"Yeah," Jeff said uncertainly. He had just said that before so she wouldn't judge him. Seeing a naked wet Annie was not something he thought he could do without it turning into a sexual matter.

Just say no, he thought. Talk her out of it. It's a bad idea. Just say no, just say-

"Okay," he said. "If you really want to."

"I do," she said a bit nervously. "I mean, I've never done it before. And I should try it once, right?"

"Yup. So…I guess we'll come back here later once everyone is asleep, and…skinny dip."

"Aw huh," Annie said.

Idiot, Jeff screamed in his head.