Dawne deals with too much family on Christmas, Edgar not enough. Andy is in big trouble and is going to need all the family he can get. PLEASE R&R! I'm gonna need your encouagement to birth this one!


Johnathan

Sioux watched and silently followed as he worked his phone and roamed from room to room, making call after call. Finally he put the phone down and met her eyes.

'Please tell me.' She pleaded. He sat down wearily on the sofa.

'Andy and Sabrina been drifting for a while. The horse ranch was big untertaking and a lot of work. When the publicity appearances and especially the Captain's Tour started he was never home. Been separated since last summer just after we finished the last Tour. She said it was bad enough having a part-time fishin' husband for close to 30 years, but with the DC publicity trips and the Tour, she felt like a single woman and might as well be one for real. He hasn't said much about what's going on, but they pretty much lead separate lives.'

'He never said a word.' Sioux shook her head.

'It wasn't a complete surprise. But it when it came down, he really freaked out.' Johnathan remembered.

'What happened?'

Johnathan shook his head. 'He ran off, just like he did when Mom and Bob told us they were gettin' married when we were kids.'

'What?' Sioux hadn't heard this story.

'Yeah, Mom and Dad been divorced for a year or two and she was dating Bob. . .'

Sioux had met Joan's second husband Bob Philips and really liked him. He was a good, solid and kind man and the brothers adored him.

Johnathan continued. 'They were gettin' married and dropped the news while we were on the road. Andy jumped out the back window of the station wagon and ran off into the woods. Took us a while to find him. When he can't deal, he goes off by himself. After he got the separation papers, he disappeared for two weeks. He called the girls once or twice to tell them not to worry. Freaked everybody out. Then he showed back up lookin' like he had lost 20 pounds and had been dragged through hell. Just breezed back, acted like nothing was wrong, and went out on the boat for tendering.'

Sioux took this in, filed it in her spirit to review later, when she had time to reflect.

'But why would he take off now? What's wrong?' She was confused.

'Don't know. That's the thing got me worried. . . ' Johnathan's phone went off and he jumped up to catch it. 'Hullo!'

Dawne

She spent Christmas afternoon where the family had been meeting for the past few years, at sister Nina's. Nina was her middle sister with the perfect husband and children, who lived proud and smug in a suburban McMansion. She was also a total bitch who for some reason had been jealous of her since birth. Baby sister Maria would also be there with her husband and kids and it would be a coin toss to see if she and Nina were tight or feuding. If they were tight, they'd gang up on her, if they were feuding both would try and triangulate her into their bullshit. If she didn't love her Mother so much, knowing her absence would upset her, she'd skip the whole scene with relief.

Sister Nina's McMansion was lit up like the Griswald's and decorated to a fare-the-well. The door was unlocked and she stepped into the fray. Her nieces and nephews were running around like munchkin's on crack, the men-folk were gettin' drunk in the den, the women were in the kitchen arguing over whether to put horseradish sauce in the potato salad. She tightened her grip on the two huge Christmas bags that carried her gifts for the family. Thinking of seeing Edgar later allowed some genuine pleasure to warm her big fake smile as she waded in.

Shit! Somehow Nina's lawyer rat-bastard of a husband had cornered her in a back bedroom where she had gone to get Mom's sweater. When she turned to leave he was lounging in the doorway.

'Hey good lookin'. Gimme some Christmas sugar.' And lewdly pursed his ugly frog lips.

Dawne was always on her guard around Edward ever since a 4th of July barbeque shortly after she split from her ex, when she found herself fighting off his drunk ass in the laundry room.

'Really Ed?' She sneered as she slide past him. He hated to be called Ed, thought it was prole and common. He reached out to take her arm but she jerked out of his grip and stalked back to the kitchen.

'Frigid bitch.' Ed muttered.

Edgar

Mom was spending the holidays in Norway, Sig had taken his family to Hawaii, Norman had gone hunting with some buddies, so he spent Christmas Day on the phone tracking down the family.

He decided to make the hardest call first. . .to his kids. After he hung up, as expected he wanted a drink so bad to numb the pain, his hands trembled. But he held on. Held on to his program. Held on to his dignity. Held on to the thought of seeing Dawne.

Johnathan

'Thanks Todd.' He hung up, and called Sheryl to book him on the first flight out to L.A.

'I'm going with you!' 'Sioux insisted as he packed a carry-on bag.

'No you're not! Listen baby, I'm gonna bring him back. Even if I have to beat and hogtie his unconscious ass. I need you to get the back bedroom squared away and be ready to deal with him.' He insisted.

'But where is he? What did Todd tell you?'

'Andy called him drunker than a skunk a couple of days ago and let slip he was at a motel near the airport in Los Angeles.'

'What motel?'

'Not sure, but I'll find him.' Johnathan assured her as his phone rang again.

'Got it! Thanks Sheryl.'

Johnathan pulled Sioux in, hugged her tight and kissed her hard.

'Gotta go. . .flight leaves in an hour. I love you. Don't worry. I'll find him.' And with that he was gone.

Sioux

'Uggh!' Sioux muttered as she powered up her laptop and go to work compiling a listing of every motel within a 10 mile radius of LAX. Her list printed, she make a cup of tea and started to call each and every one. She just hated playing the little woman, minding the home fires, while Mr. Man rode off to the rescue. By the time Johnathan's plane landed she was going to have found Andy or know the reason why.

Andy

He had been holed up in a motel near the LAX airport in Los Angeles. The 'Do Not Disturb' sign had not been removed from the door knob since he checked in four days ago. When the black, suffocating blanket of irrational impending doom had finally overwhelmed him in Homer, he split. He had a carry-on bag only because flying with no luggage would have TSA all over his ass, and took the first flight out. As it happened, it had connected him through to LAX. He knew his phone was blowing up but the thought of dealing with anyone made him feel even more helpless, anxious, and miserable. He had existed on fast-food delivery and the kindness of the motel manager ever since. He hadn't changed his clothes, bathed, or even brushed his teeth since he arrived. The drapes stayed firmly drawn against the healing California sunshine. Empty pizza boxes, Chinese food cartons, soda liters, beer and tequila bottles littered the room. He had created his own personal 'Mondo-Condo Motel of Pain and Suffering' and was in residence sinking fast.


From: Hotel California - The Eagles

So I called up the captain, "Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969"
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
They're living it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise
Bring your alibis

And in the master's chambers they gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
"Relax," said the night man, "We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like but you can never leave"