Melissa and Joey, Season 3 episode 16
From the Earth to the Moon
Summary: This episode starts right after the second part of episode 15, what happens in Jersey . . .
Joe came into the living room prepared to tell Mel how he really felt about her when, the kitchen door swung open and in walked Mel's old boyfriend. "Austin."
"Hey you two," Joe played it like his whole world hadn't just fallen apart. Mel's ex-boyfriend, the perfect one for her (except for the whole vasectomy thing) coming back into her life now, complicated matters. "I don't want to interrupt anything. So, I'll go and help the kids unload the car. I'll let you two have your . . ." he turned to go back out the door barely refraining from gritting his teeth as he finished, "alone time."
"Joe," Mel started to say something but Austin had already begun to pour her a glass of wine.
"Come on Mel, let the man go and then you and I can start up, where we left off."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Mel mumbled the words into her drink as she watched Joe leave the house. Guilt and nerves mixed in with conflicting emotions. Mel took another long gulp of her red wine.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Austin gave her a funny look and Mel set her glass down on the coffee table. They sat on the sofa facing each other, now was the time for decisions. There were always choices to be examined, and as a strong Council woman for Toledo she was the one who usually made them.
"Austin, so here's the hundred dollar question that's up for grabs, what are you doing here in my house? And why have you miraculously changed your mind about not wanting kids? Last time I checked that was your deal breaker, remember? I wanted kids, and you didn't? So now what, you woke up this morning and decided to change your tune, what's up with that?" She thought for a moment as she poured herself another glass of wine and said, "Okay, that's technically two hundred dollar questions, not just one, but whose keeping score, I mean really?" She hummed low in her throat as her heart raced a mile a minute. She took another drink as she mumbled without much vehemence, "I'm blond, don't judge me!"
Austin laughed and shook his head at her joke, "Ah Mel, you don't ever change, do you?" His expression turned from laughing to more serious as he moved back to the subject at hand. "Does it really matter why I've decided to have kids? Why not just enjoy the fact that I want to start a family now? I'm ready, I guess the question I'm wondering right now is . . . are you?"
The kids picked this moment to walk into the house carrying their luggage from their recent trip to New Jersey. Ryder came in carrying a white shoe box that looked as if something was wriggling inside, she'd be sure to ask him about it, later. Lennox followed after Ryder balancing their bags and looking slightly deflated. Mel wondered why for a minute when the door closed after the children had entered.
"Where's Joe? I thought he was helping you unload the car?" Not that she cared where her Manny was, he was only a bigger part of their lives than she had realized. Okay, he had become an even bigger part of her life than she had ever expected. The thought made her so nervous she reached for her glass of wine and took another drink.
Ryder answered absently as he carried his shoe box up the stairs with both hands clutching the rattling sides. "Joe went for a walk, yeah, I guess he spent too much time you know, cooped up in the car; needed to stretch or something."
"Or something," Lennox mumbled with disappointment glaring over at Austin. She took the bags that Ryder had pushed onto her, and started up the stairs giving her Aunt a lame excuse that she was tired and went up to bed.
Mel turned back to her ex-boyfriend. "Austin, listen I . . ." She held in her breath when Joe came walking back into the house with purposeful strides.
"Mel, can I speak with you for a moment?" He walked past them on the couch and said over his shoulder, "In the kitchen?"
Wow, he looked seriously pissed and even though Mel could hardly blame him she didn't think she could go into the kitchen without taking some backup with her. She grabbed her glass of wine and glanced over at Austin, "I just need to-give me one moment."
When she walked back through the door of the kitchen she let out a breath of relief and tried for easy going Mel Burke. With a smile plastered on her face she said, "Whew, I'm glad you saved me back there. Thanks Joe, you know I can always count on you to get me out of intense moments."
"If you want to be saved from intense moments, then you shouldn't have come in here." Joe nodded as he looked at her and felt the want for her sneaking up behind him and biting him in the ass. "Burke, what is he doing in there?"
Mel took a drink from her wine glass and said, "Oh he came by to shoot the breeze, and drink a little wine, and. . ."
"And?"
"And he said he was ready now to start a family and asked if I wanted to have kids with him," She made a low groaning noise and set her glass on the kitchen counter. Turning to face Joe she heard him make a low growling sound deep within his throat. Mel felt her insides clench with need as she remembered that he'd made the same sound last night when he'd been with her. Their first time had been shattering, from the Earth to the Moon kind of shattering. "Joe, Joe," she turned to him frantically wringing her hands and moving from side to side, "I don't know what to do. Tell me what should I do?"
"I can't tell you that Mel."
She groaned again and stomped her foot like a petulant child, "Why not? I hate having to be the grown up all the time. Why can't I ever be the kid? What am I going to tell him?"
"What do you want to tell him?"
"Oh, you, you're no help at all." She made you sound like a cuss word and he smiled despite the situation. She was cute when she was agitated like this.
Joe decided to bite the bullet and came out with it. "Mel," his voice grew soft, tender as he asked her, "What do you want to do?"
"I want to tell him to go back to where he came from so that everything can be like it was."
"Everything," He made the word sound like a question remembering last night and their naked and tangled limbs. His eyes grew hot as they met hers and connected. He felt her simmering response.
"I'm not going there Longo, Oh," she rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, I can do this. I am a successful Council woman and I'm used to dealing with sticky situations, and this is definitely one of those."
"What are you going to say to him?"
"I'll let you know as soon as I find out," She drained her last drink for the night and then said, "Sometimes I hate being a beautiful blond!"
"I'm sure it's very hard for you," He fought back his amusement. Then he added, "Before you go in there Mel, I think you need a reminder of what could be waiting for you when you get back."
Joe took her by the arm and pushed her against him. She felt the solid wall of his muscular chest and her insides did that clenching thing again that caused her blood to boil. She didn't have time to formulate anything more before he pulled her closer and plundered her mouth with his. Their mouths met, their tongues dueled for dominance. The kiss drained every thought and worry from her mind. She took his mouth and dove into the moment without caring about the consequences. Just this once, she would indulge in something that she wanted but might not be able to keep. Nothing lasted forever. Mel was smart enough, and knew enough of the world to realize that. But when he ended the kiss she found herself leaning forward, and when he didn't move in again, she felt the grounds of sore disappointment nearly overcome her.
Damn the sexy man, didn't he know he couldn't kiss a woman like that and not follow through with the rest?
Joe gave her a smile filled with heat and tapped her nose with his finger, "Remember that when you're in their talking to your vasectomy guy."
"He's not vasectomy guy Joe, he has a name. It's," her mind was still muddled from his kiss, oh my god, she couldn't remember her ex-boyfriend's name. She still had the taste of Joe lingering on her swollen lips and she wanted more. The knowledge of that aggravated her even more.
Joe answered for her. "It's Austin, right?"
He grinned at her as she turned to leave. Before Mel pushed through the kitchen door she glared at him over her shoulder, "I know his name. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention."
"I'm paying attention," Joe said after she left the room. "Maybe for the first time in my life, I'm paying attention."
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