Go West, Young Man

I'm only borrowing these characters for my own nefarious purposes…

CHAPTER 2 – Mamas and Planes

Danny didn't think twice about spending $675 for a last-minute one-way ticket to Montana. He wasn't rich, he was desperate. He also wasn't sure if he'd be sent packing on the first thing smoking once Lindsay caught sight of him, so he left his return flight options open.

The plane ride to Montana was uneventful. There were no crying babies and no one with restless leg syndrome kicking the back of his seat. There was no loud, vulgar conversation going on around him. At least Danny didn't notice. He also didn't notice the female flight attendant being particularly nice to him.

He used the flight as a time of reflection. Who would have thought that a die-hard New Yorker would be jealous of Montanans for having something he didn't?That something had nothing to do with wheat fields.

His mind drifted back to the previous day when he visited his first love.

Her eyes danced and her face could not contain her joy upon seeing him at the front door.

"Danny! It's not Sunday. What are you doing here?" The petite woman's voice was much louder than her stature seemed to indicate was possible. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek.

He just looked at her and said, "How're you doing? How's pop?"

"I'm fine. Your father's at work, flirting with the young ladies who come into the shop. He forgets he's old, and insists on making a fool of himself." Danny snickered, knowing that his mother had pegged his father as the harmless old flirt that he was. He hoped he wasn't like that when he got old. Other than that, he had nothing but respect for the man.

She led him into the house. They sat in the living room, him on the couch and her in the armchair. "Danny, sit up straight! You're going to be walking like your father by the time you're 40." Danny complied, but would not look her in the eye.

She leaned in to him. "Danny, what's the matter?" Her brows furrowed in concern. She eyed Danny, knowing the trouble she'd have to go through to pry the answer out of him.

Danny's fidgeted and he nervously averted her concerned gaze. "Nothing. I'll be out of town for a while and I wanted to see you before I left."

"You could have called, Danny." She paused, waiting for a response she knew she wouldn't get. That would have been too easy, and she knew her son better than that. "Where are you going?" she asked quietly. Her gaze was as intense as Danny's and he knew that he couldn't avoid it for long.

"Montana." His mother's brow showed a release of tension, no longer furrowed. A huge grin crept across her face as her eyes beamed. She nodded.

"I'm happy you came to your senses." She needed no more explanation. She knew why Danny had been so unhappy. He had finally met a woman who made him want to be a better man, but that woman hadn't made herself available to him. It was killing him. It was killing her to see her son that way, but hearing that her son was going to go after her made her realize just how special Lindsay was to him. She had wanted to meet her, but Danny kept making excuses why he couldn't bring her over. He never even asked Lindsay to meet his mother because he didn't want her to think that he was trying to nudge her into something she wasn't ready for. He was ready for that move, but she wasn't. He never thought the day would come when he was the one who was ready for a commitment, but the object of his affection was not.

His mother left the room for a couple of minutes and returned. Before she sat down, she reached something to him and silently asked whether he wanted it or not. He reached for it and put it in his pocket. She went over to him and hugged him. She said, "Be safe."

"I love you, Ma."

"Love you too, Danny. Now get out of here!" she shrieked.

Just then, the captain announced their imminent descent and thanked the passengers for riding. Danny's palms began to sweat. At this point, his future was as clear as the clouds. He tried to remind himself that the anticipation was almost always worse than the actuality. Sure, keep saying that and you might believe it.

A/N: Nothing much went on here, but I had to set up a couple of things. I promise you that from chapter 3 to the end, it will be DL loveliness!

I'm going to try to get chapter 3 up before episode 18 airs so that I can keep the story that I've worked out in my mind on track. Or maybe not. I might like the way the way they handle the situation. We'll see. Okay, I'll write it, then wait to post it in case I want to change it. How's that? (Talk about stream of consciousness. Sheesh.)