Chapter 1

Jess stared fixedly at the laptop screen. "So it looks like the only train out of LA leaves at 6am. So set your alarms boys, were goin' to Portland!" A few weeks earlier, Jess had received an invitation to her fifteen year high school reunion. Normally Jess loved to catch up with old friends, but high school was a different beast. But she had a great job and now a great boyfriend to show off and she hadn't been home in ages, so why not?

Nick returned the juice to the fridge, rolling his eyes. "Six Jess? I haven't been up that early since I wore tie dye. Why can't we just fly like Cece did?"

"Where's your sense of adventure? This will be fun! Riding the rails, the fresh ocean air off the starboard side!"

Nick corrects her. "Starboard side is right hon, the oceans on the left. Port side. And those are boating terms."

Jess ignores him and continues. "It'll be like the Orient Express! Only with out the murder."

Nick chuckles at that. "Well, don't count that out. Two days on a train with Schmidt, something's gonna give.

Turning his attention from his french press, Schmidt defends himself. "Yeah, well, I'm not too keen on sharing a room with Winston. You know he talks in his sleep? Nick, seriously, as my friend, please bunk with me. I need my beauty rest if I'm gonna sparkle for Jess's reunion. Show 'em the sunshine they're missing in that rain puddle they call a city."

Offended, Jess exclaimed "Hey, that's my rain puddle!"

"No can do pal." Nick says with no small amount of disappointment. " I'm not trading a room with the most beautiful woman in the world to listen to whale sounds with you." He leans over and gives Jess a kiss on the top of her head.

Jess blushes at her boyfriends sweetness, giving him a little nudge. "Aw, thank you Nick!"

Schmidt, obviously disgusted by the display, dismissed his excuse. "Please, you just want train sex. I don't blame you. It's a smooth ride, but it's got enough of a vibration going on that you won't have to work as hard to get Jess where she needs to go."

Jess pushes herself up from the counter to head towards her room. "Ew, Schmidt!

Following behind her, Nick silently reminds himself to finish that travel size douchbag jar.

Two days later, the residents of 4D were rushing for the platform. Nick was lagging behind, as since he was the boyfriend, he not only was responsible for his lone duffel bag, but the 2 suitcases, cosmetics case disguised as a toolbox, garment bag, and Hello Kitty neck pillow belonging to Jessica Day.

"Guys come on, we're late!" Jess yelled behind her.

Rushing to catch up, Winston replied, "We would've been on time if somebody hadn't been in the bathroom all playing with his nether region!"

Schmidt was quick to correct him. "Pubic topiary. It's carefully crafted to showcase the rose of the Schmidt garden."

"Hey Nick, you have that jar handy?" Winston shouted behind him.

Boarding the train, they fumbled their way towards the room car. Finding hers, Jess slid the door open and scooted inside, followed by a disheveled Nick. Throwing the items on the seat, Nick glanced around. Two small fabric covered seats facing each other, with a small window to the side. "This is it?" He wondered aloud.

Jess blinked her eyes, hoping they were playing tricks on her, but this was, in fact, it. "It looked bigger online, I guess."

Poking his head in, Schmidt smirked. "Cozy. Come on Winston, ours is in the next train."

Jess was confused. "Wait, you're not in the same car as us? Where are you going?"

Schmidt wordlessly made his way to the next car, followed by a curious Nick and Jess. Coming to a large door, he slipped in his key card and walked into his suite.

Looking around, Nick was displeased with what he saw. To his right was a small seating area, with a loveseat covered in some kind of blue velor fabric.. To the side of that was a bathroom, complete with a glass door shower. Under the flat screen that hung next to the windows was a mini fridge. The beds were to his left, and running his hand over the soft quilting it came to rest at the chocolate mint on the pillow. "What the hell Schmidt?"

Winston entered the room, letting out a low whistle. "Very nice! I call top bunk!"

Schmidt balked at this. "You can't just call top bunk! I paid for half the room, we get equal dibs on top bunk."

"That's why I called it! We both had a chance to call it, I obviously cared enough to call it first, so it's mine." Winston retorted.

"Schmidt!" Jess exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us you were getting the fancy car? I thought we'd be next to each other." When Jess had booked the trip, she had this picture in her head of the four of them laughing around a table, dining and being served wine while they enjoyed the scenic view.

"These towels are so soft." Jess poked her head in the bathroom to watch as Nick rubbed his face into a mint green hand towel. "Jess, feel this. It feels like how cookies smell. I know that doesn't make sense, but it does." Ignoring the towel being held out to her, Jess turned back to Schmidt.

"Look Jess, I'm all for going to Portland to see you off to your high school reunion, but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend 2 days in discomfort to do it. Which is why Winston and I ponied up the extra dough for the super liner suite." Schmidt grinned.

Jess laughed at this. "You're not going for me, you're going because you're too jealous to let Cece go alone!"

Schmidt shook his head "That's not even a little bit true, I trust Cece, completely, it has nothing to with that. It's a very damp climate, she doesn't know how to properly care for that brown-sugar like skin, and with my carefully regimented routine, she'll be able to enjoy her time there instead of worrying about blackheads." Jess rolled her eyes.

Slapping him on the shoulder, Nick leaned into Schmidt. "Hey buddy, so I was thinking about what you said, and you know, you were right. I'm your friend, and if bunking with you in your deluxe suite will make you happy, then I'm happy to do it."

"Nick!" Jess's eyes widened.

Winston's voice shot over the room, "Hey guys there's beer and brownies in the fridge! Haha!"

Nicked hissed in Jess's direction. "Beer and brownies!"

"Too bad, so sad Nicholas. You see Jess, this is what happens when you hitch your star to a wagon of little means. So enjoy your closet, Winston and I are going into the lounge."

"Oh, OK, let's go!" Jess perked up.

Putting his hand up Schmidt had to let her down. "Ahem, sorry Jess. Suite guests only. You think they let just anyone play scrabble while drinking? We'll catch up with you guys later."

Winston skipped towards the door excitedly. "Scrabble?! Hey, you think they got Boggle too?"

Watching them go with an extreme case of turtle face, Nick grumbled to himself. So he'd be spending the next two days in a cramped space, but in the end, he supposed that meant that he and Jess would just have to find ways to make it more comfortable, even if that meant sleeping in eachothers arms. Smiling at the thought, he turned to Jess and all thoughts of he and Jess cuddling and kissing quickly left his head Causing the supremely pissed off face of Jessica Day was pretty high on his list things to avoid, and it seemed that less than fifteen minutes into their five day journey, he was off to a rocky start.