*the kitchen*

Mel fills a glass vase with fresh water and then places a beautiful bouquet of flowers, the same bouquet Austin had given her just days before, in it. She moves a few of the flowers around and then steps back to admire her work.

Suddenly Lennox barges down the back steps. "Are you ready, Aunt Mel?"

"Almost. Where's your brother?"

"He's just finishing up now." Lennox replies.

"Ok. Throw your bags in the car and I'll be ready in a minute." Mel says, then scurries out of the kitchen to get her own luggage.

*in the car*

Lennox listens to her iPod and smiles to herself, glad that she finally convinced her Aunt Mel that they should all go to support Joe at Nona's funeral. Doing so had been no small feat, but thankfully Austin had helped to convince her Aunt that it was the right thing to do.

*the next day; inside a large church*

Mel, Lennox, and Ryder move to take their seats in one of the back pews of the crowded church. Mel can't help but notice Joe, his back towards her, at the front of the church.

A minute later, Joe and his family sit in the front pews, and the ceremony begins.

*inside Nona's house*

Joe is talking to a small group of mourners. He thanks them for coming to the ceremony and turns to see Mel staring at him from across the room. Even though he had no idea she was coming, he recognizes her instantly. Mel freezes momentarily, then quickly stands and sprints to the kitchen. As she rummages around, looking for something to drink, something to ease her utterly unnerved body, Joe enters.

"Mel, what are you doing here? I had no idea you were coming." Joe says as he approaches her. He has to stop short of grabbing her at the elbows and drawing her closer to him. He doesn't know why he was inclined to do so in the first place. To comfort her? He sees that something is wrong, but, well, he HAD left to get away from her... and yet his heart aches at her evident pain.

"Lennox and Ryder convinced me." Mel says slowly. She meets Joe's eyes and then quickly looks left, then right, then everywhere that isn't Joe's questioning face. "Don't you have any alcohol in this place? I'm trying to drown my sorrows here!"

"Your sorrows?"

"Yeah! Uh... about Nona's death that is. You know, she was a really sweet old lady."

Joe shakes his head as he pulls out a bottle and two wine glasses. He knows her too well to believe that Nona's passing is the only thing upsetting her. He pours a glass and hands it to Mel and then pours one for himself. He leans against the counter and they both begin to drink.

After several minutes of silence, Joe can't help but ask... "So... How did things go with Austin? Are you two back together now?"

"NO. I mean no" Mel replies sharply. She doesn't know why she suddenly feels so defensive about the situation. She doesn't know why she's hurt by the fact that Joe is so quick to assume that she welcomed Austin back with open arms. She doesn't know why she feels, deep down, that Joe was the reason she couldn't take Austin back. She doesn't understand the feelings swirling inside her. She knows and understands nothing of the complicated mess she feels herself invisibly muddled in, and so she drinks.

Several more minutes pass before Mel begins to speak. "Are you coming back, Joe?" Suddenly, she begins to tear up. Something is wrong, even if she doesn't know what it is, or how things should be, or how to fix them. Joe sees all this and moves to hug her.

"You were so angry when you left. I didn't know if you were leaving for a week... or for good." Mel manages. As she says this, Joe spies Lennox and Ryder, who are spying on himself and Mel. Lennox makes an encouraging gesture, which Joe takes to mean he should tell her he'll come back. Ryder just plain looks confused.

Joe rubs Mel's back and tells her that of course he is coming back.

"I had to leave for Nona's funeral but I think we all know that if I left Lennox and Ryder in your care, with your cooking, I'd have two more funerals to go to before long." Joe joked. Mel hit him, the tears quickly receding from her eyes, false anger replacing them.

"You could at least pour me another drink before you start throwing out the jokes, Longo." Mel remarked. "Maybe once I'm drunk they'll start to be funny!" They turn away from each other and smile.

*in the car*

"It was really nice of you guys to come to the funeral." Joe says quietly, so as not to wake Mel and Ryder. "How did you convince your Aunt to come anyways? I do know it was your idea, you know."

"Eh, in honesty it was really Austin who convince her to go." Lennox whispers back.

Joe is momentarily stunned. "Huh?"

"Yeah, he kept showing up at our house with flowers and presents, asking Aunt Mel to reconsider, to give him a chance. I think once she realized going to Jersey would mean getting away from Austin, at least for a few days, she was pretty sold on the idea." Lennox laughs.

Joe can't help chuckling to himself either. Mel may not yet have the courage be with him, but hell, at least she had the courage to turn down Austin, Mr. Perfect, and that's a start, Joe thinks to himself.

"So what is your Aunt doing with all these flowers and presents anyways?" Joe asks, picturing a mess of petals and wrapping paper for him to clean up upon their return.

"Well," replies Lennox, "she didn't accept any of them, except for that first bouquet, of course. I asked her why she kept those flowers and she said looking at them reminds her. Then she said something about how the flowers had already bloomed when Austin gave them to her and how they looked perfect in that moment but would quickly fade and die. I think she knew that her relationship with Austin, if she got back with him, would be the same... perfect at first but not lasting, when what she really wants is... what words did she use?... oh... a love that will take her from the earth to the moon. Pretty deep for Aunt Mel, huh?"

Joe smiles.