Chapter 1

Day 1

"Thank you for taking us to the airport, Brian," Lindsay said, smiling warmly at Brian as he pulled into the parking garage at Pittsburgh Airport. "Are you sure we didn't take you out of your way?"

"Not at all, Lindz. Now that the great dig out of 2016-2017 is finally over, I hope, I really need to spend time here in the Pitts. Stacey at N'rgy is making a lot of expansion noise. I had to be here bright and early anyway."

Brian got out of Justin's Cherokee, quickly sprinting to the passenger side to open the door for Lindsay. He helped her out then reached to open the rear door for Melanie. Ignoring Brian's hand, Melanie started pulling out their carry-on luggage from the back seat. Brian found a luggage cart and brought it to the back door of the car.

"Goddammit, Mel! I concede, between the two of us you are far more butch. Now will you let me load the fucking cart? You don't need to start off your second honeymoon in traction. Now. Back. Off." Brian scowled at the petite lawyer who started wrestling him for their suitcases.

The girls were going away for two weeks and had packed accordingly. Their cases were large and weighed a ton. Melanie shot Brian a glare, as Lindsay sighed and rolled her eyes. There would never be a lasting peace between Brian and Melanie. Lindsay had all but resigned herself to the fact.

Melanie relented, allowing Brian to efficiently stack their luggage on the cart and push it toward the terminal doors.

This was a big deal for the girls, their first real vacation alone together in years. They had agreed to two weeks in St. Augustine at the same B & B that the boys had stayed at several years before. Brian, himself, had called Seamus Griffin, the owner of the Piece of Plenty, to reserve the honeymoon suite for the Munchers. And, unbeknownst to the girls, had arranged for champagne, chocolates and flowers. Brian wanted their vacation to be perfect, for Lindsay.

Even though the girls had an early flight, there was a line. Brian dutifully maneuvered the cart into the line, standing behind Melanie, who was holding the tickets and itinerary.

"Lindz," Brian whispered softly. "You're sure you want to go through with this? You can leave the bitch anytime and move into the loft. I wouldn't mind."

"Much."

"What?"

"You heard me. You wouldn't mind much. I know the reason why you've kept that loft after all these years, and it would kill you knowing that someone else had moved in and was sleeping in your bedroom. I know that John stays there when he's in town but that's only temporary."

Brian sighed loudly.

"Brian, I love Melanie. I have to try to work things out. You know that."

Brian nodded; he did know. And deep down, he applauded Lindsay's never ending optimism. And he wished her luck. Glancing at the "bitch", Brian sighed again.

"Oh stop. You know I'm right. Now are you okay with keeping an eye on the kids?" Lindsay said in a normal voice.

"He's not keeping an eye on the kids. Danny's in charge," Melanie spat out.

"Great, Granny Devore, in charge of two adolescents. Just peachy," Brian snarked.

"It's not that bad," Lindsay chuckled. "The kids are in school all day, so Danny can still work at the comic book store and then he'll pick up JR after school. Gus can manage on his own, but I feel better with an adult in the house. Debbie will be stopping by too."

"Daily, I bet."

"I'm sure, and Michael. They'll be fine." Lindsay leaned in a little, "I won't worry as much knowing that you're around." Lindsay kissed Brian's cheek.

"We're next!" Melanie growled as they inched forward in the line.

Brian pushed the cart to the counter as Lindsay and Mel checked in.

"What the hell did you pack, the kitchen sink?" Brian grumbled as he lifted the heavy cases onto the scale. "If I throw my back out and can't fu..."

"Brian!" Lindsay scolded.

"Can't perform my husbandly duties, I will sue your ass," Brian muttered as he finished with the luggage. Lindsay giggled.

When they had completed their check-in, Brian walked them to the security gate. Melanie took off her coat then squished it into the grey security basket. She then took off her boots to place them in the bin on the conveyor belt. She stepped through the gate.

"My turn," Lindsay said as she began to remove her own coat and boots. Brian stood close to offer her a hand.

"You'll call me when you land," Brian said with concern in his voice.

"Of course."

"And let me know when you get to the B & B."

"If you insist." Lindsay placed her belongings in the bins and was about to go through the gate. Melanie was waiting patiently, or not, on the other side.

"Lindsay, I..."

"Don't worry, Brian, it'll all work out, I promise. I love you, always," Lindsay said as she smiled up at the man.

Giving Lindsay a chaste kiss on the lips, Brian hugged Lindsay then gave her a little shove toward the gate.

"Come on, Lindz!" Mel called out.

"I'm coming. You'll call me and let me know how the kids are?"

"Sure, but with Granny Danny and Granny Debbie hovering, what can possibly go wrong?" Brian said with a shrug. "Go, have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"We won't, I can guarantee that, ass..., uh...Kinney," Melanie countered.

Brian watched as Lindsay put her boots back on and Melanie led her away.

*****

 

"Hey, Boss, how was the drive in?"

"Peachy."

"I just wondered if there was any snow out your way," Ted said gently, since Brian's answer seemed more snarky than usual.

"Despite the universal opinion that I live somewhere out in the wilderness, our weather is much like yours," Brian stated sarcastically.

"Yeah, sure, Boss. Of course it is. I was merely making conversation."

"Make conversation with someone else, Schmidt."

"Yes, sir."

"Ted, I … I'm just giving you a hard time. I came from the airport where I sent Lindsay and her barracuda winging away to Florida. It didn't improve my mood."

"Melanie?"

Brian nodded. "That woman, and I use the term loosely, knows how to push every button I have."

"What did she do?"

"She didn't actually do anything. She just … rubs me the wrong way, everything she says and does. I don't know how Lindsay puts up with her."

"Love?"

"That's what they call it."

"I can understand how Melanie ticks you off. She has that innate ability with all of us," Ted said sympathetically. "So the girls are off on their second honeymoon," he added, hoping this would be a safer topic.

"I guess you could call it that," Brian replied. "I prefer to think of it as make it or break it time."

"Why do you say that?" Ted asked with a frown.

"Didn't you notice the tension between them at Christmas?"

"I was too busy digging to notice anything," Ted said, as he thought back to the incidents surrounding Christmas. "I thought I was going to be trapped at Emmett's forever."

Brian chuckled. "That would have been interesting … for some people."

"Yeah, right, very interesting. It was fucking scary, digging and digging, and digging some more, and never finding you."

"I know I'm the prize at the end of the rainbow," Brian said tongue in cheek, "but if you had a better sense of direction, you would have found us sooner."

"If I had a better sense of direction?" Ted said in disbelief, stressing the word 'I'. "There's nothing wrong with my sense of direction. It was the fault of whoever started digging. They sent us off on the wrong path."

"And who might that have been?"

"Probably Emmett."

"You let that big fruit direct you? No wonder you got lost. It's a wonder you're not digging towards Philadelphia as we speak," Brian chuckled.

"If I was digging toward Philadelphia, we wouldn't be speaking," Ted countered. "I'd be lost."

Brian raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "Aren't you anyway?" This discussion was going nowhere, but at least it had got Brian's mind off Lindsay's acerbic husband. "Is the conference call with Stacey all arranged?"

"Yes," Ted said looking at his watch. "In twenty-one minutes."

"Good. I need coffee."

"Coming right up," Ted said as he hustled away to get it.

Brian watched him go. It was good to know that Ted was a loyal and dependable employee, and more than that, a loyal and dependable friend. Hiring Ted had been one of the best decisions Brian had ever made.

"Here's your coffee, Boss," Ted said returning with a steaming mug. "Your favorite brew."

"Mmm," Brian said taking a much needed sip of the hot liquid.

"Anything else I can get you?" Ted asked as he followed Brian into what was now Cynthia's office, but became Brian's whenever he chose to work there.

"Get that call organized and let me know when we're ready to start."

"Absolutely," Ted said as he headed out of the office.

Brian watched Ted disappear before picking up the phone and dialing a familiar number.

"Hello."

"Hey, Sonny Boy, is everything all right?"

"Jeesh, Pop, they just left fifteen minutes ago," Gus griped into his cell phone.

"It was at least an hour and a half," Brian said looking at the clock and calculating the time that he had picked up the Munchers from home.

"They won't even have taken off yet."

"Should be leaving at any moment," Brian said knowingly.

"We're fine, Pop. JR and I are on our way to school."

"Good boy. Danny got you two out of the house on time?"

"He shooed us out about five minutes ago, after he fed us this humongous breakfast. We're almost at JR's school."

Brian chuckled. "I think Danny's taking his babysitting assignment very seriously."

"We're not babies," Gus protested. "I could have looked after JR just fine while they were gone."

"I know you could, son, but humor us on this one."

"Okay," Gus said grudgingly. "We'll all be fine."

"If anything comes up, don't hesitate to call me."

"Nothing's going to come up," Gus replied, and Brian heard a little bit of his own voice in that response. It made him smile.

"I'll call you tonight," Brian told him.

"Sure," Gus said with a long suffering sigh. "JR's poking me to say hello to you."

"Hello to Jenny Rebecca," Brian replied knowing that Gus would hold the phone so JR could hear. He heard her giggle in response.

"Bye, Pop."

"Later, Sonny Boy."

Brian hung up the phone, and then immediately picked it up again.

"Hello."

"Hey, Sunshine."

"You sound very chipper," Justin laughed.

"I wasn't a few minutes ago," Brian said with a scowl.

"Melanie?"

"Does everybody know me that well?" Brian asked with a frown.

"Yep."

"You're asking for trouble," Brian threatened at Justin's flippant answer.

"I loooove your kind of trouble," Justin cooed.

"I don't get no respect from nobody," Brian griped.

"Ted?"

Brian sighed and then smiled. "I just talked to Gus. Danny got them off to school with no problem."

"That's good. I think Danny was looking forward to being part of the family twenty-four hours a day."

"I think so too," Brian said. "Although he may drive Gus nuts in short order."

"They'll be fine," Justin said gently.

"That's exactly what Gus said."

"And he said it because it's true."

"Okay, I have to go. Ted's giving me the high sign for the conference call with Stacey."

"Good luck," Justin said.

"Later," Brian replied before hanging up the phone.

*****

 

The aircraft lifted off the ground and started to ascend. Melanie leaned against Lindsay.

"This is going to be good for us, time away, by ourselves, with no interruptions," Melanie stated.

"Yeah."

"That didn't sound very encouraging."

"I … I hope we can reconnect. I'm sick of the way things have been lately," Lindsay said with a big sigh.

"I didn't think it had been that bad," Melanie replied. The tone of her voice made it clear that she didn't like hearing this from Lindsay.

"I'm sorry, Mel, but we don't seem to have much to say to each other anymore … at least not without fighting."

"I love you, Lindz. You know that."

"I know, but… Oh, I don't know."

"You want to make this work, don't you?" Melanie asked, concern written across her face.

"Yes, I do, but…"

"Then there shouldn't be any buts."

Lindsay shook her head. "Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe we'll learn to hate each other. I don't know if we can spend twenty-four hours a day together without killing each other."

"Of course we can."

"I'm not so sure. Look at what we've done to each other in the past … Sam and Marianne and…"

"Don't, Lindz. This is supposed to be a chance at a new start. Don't dredge up all our past mistakes."

"Sorry," Lindsay replied. But she knew they had to deal with the things from the past if they ever hoped to move forward. They had always just swept them under the rug, much like her own parents had always done, good little WASP's that they were. Lindsay didn't want to become like them. She had always said her marriage would never be like that. Certainly her choice of a mate had made that clear from the outset.

"Let's make a deal," Melanie suggested.

"You sound like Monty Hall," Lindsay giggled.

Melanie smiled. "Have I told you that I love the sound of your laugh? You don't do enough of that anymore."

"Then maybe this trip is starting off in the right way," Lindsay said with a smile. "So what's this deal?"

"The first two days we do nothing but have fun, do all the things that Brian and Justin suggested."

"And then?"

"And then we talk, I mean really talk," Melanie stated very seriously.

"Okay," Lindsay agreed.

"Then I think we can remember how much fun we used to have together, and maybe that will help us deal with more serious matters."

"That sounds like a plan," Lindsay said. "I wonder how the kids and Danny are doing."


 

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