A/N: sorry, it's been a while, but it took me a while to write this one. I hope you like it, but I'm sorry if some of my Italian destination. Are wrong but I did some research. Read and review. I love this chapter. Next one should be up soon! I loved tonight's episode!

in loving memory of EMS love you handsome

An Unusual Family

Chapter 6: Arriving in Abruzzo

A few hours later:

"You okay Burke?" Joe asked Mel sleepily. She was squeezing his hand so tightly that he woke up. "Are we landing?"

"Yeah! It's scary!" She said nervously.

Joe chuckled. "There is nothing to be afraid of, landing always goes smoothly. I promise they won't crash."

"Longo! I'm not 5, I don't think we are going to crash, but I am a little nervous to meet your family. Every inches we get closer to this ground means the sooner I have to meet them."

"Mel," he said looking into her eyes, "you have nothing to worry about, they will love you."

"I already do!" Pete said. Joe and Mel forgot he was there. There was a moment of awkward silence. "My family is going to push public displays of affection, so you should probably practice some kissing. It looks like you didn't have much problem with the hand holding." He said glancing at their entwined hands.

Mel blushed, and Joe glared at him. Pete simply smiled in return, but Joe let go of her hand.

"Go ahead, practice." Pete urged.

"I don't know." Joe said.

"Oh you're afraid to kiss your boss?" Mel teased.

"I'M FREELANCE!" Joe yelled.

"Oh yeah, prove it." Mel said suductively.

"Fine." Joe said simply.

"Make me believe it's true love." Said Pete

Joe put his hand gently under Mel's chin and raised he head up so she was looking at him. Then he cupped her cheek in his hands and leaned in to kiss her. He placed a simple yet loving kiss on her lips, and she took his bottom lip between her own. It was a very short kiss, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed between the two. When Joe leaned back he looked into her eyes with his hand still on her cheek, but she turned away quickly. They shook off what they were feeling and quickly recovered.

"Believable enough for you, Uncle Pete." Joe said.

"Sometimes you don't need to see it to believe it," He said "sometimes action speak louder than words."

Joe and Mel were shocked, but because they were trying to hide their feelings form not only one another, but also Pete and themselves, they didn't reply to his comment. Instead, they changed the tone of the conversation.

"Not bad for a Longo. I've kissed better." She said harshly.

Pete raised his eyebrows confused.

"Mel had a thing with my brother, Tony." Joe said while rolling his eyes.

"Oh, really?" Pete said.

"Yep." Mel said just as the plane attendant finally said we could start exiting the plane.

"Hey Pete! Mel, the kids, and I are stopping at a hotel to get ready to meet the family. They want to freshen up and stuff. Would you like to come?" Joe asked. "We have a rental car waiting for us if you want a ride."

"Sure! Thanks!" Pete said.

By the time they finished telling the story of meeting Uncle Pete to Lennox and Ryder, getting all of their stuff from the airport, and finding the rental car about an hour went by.

In the car:

"So it sounds like you had a good flight!" Said Lennox winking at Pete. They talked to each other a little bit, and Pete found out what Lennox thinks about her "co-parents" relationship.

"Yeah, it was okay." Said Mel. "Was your flight okay. Did you and Ryder get along?" She asked.

"I slept a LOT!" Said Ryder.

"He did! And I had to sit with some old cat lady who was telling me about all of them! It was awful!" Lennox said disgusted. "Be lucky that you got to sit with Pete!"

"I guess," said Mel sarcastically. "Joe had to tell the guy our entire secret." Mel winked at Pete. She was smiling and he knew she was just picking on Joe.

"I'm just getting even for that time you told one of your hot friends that I was your nanny. Oh wait! Don't you do that like everyday!?" Joe asked sarcastically.

Lennox and Ryder giggled.

"Yeah, that's just like when Aunt Mel tells her hot friends that I'm her nephew!" Ryder said.

Everyone got quite except for Ryder who was laughing. He suddenly realized that no one else was laughing and stopped awkwardly. Then everyone else started to laugh.

"I love this family!" Said Uncle Pete.

"One down, like 20 more to go!" Mel said.

"More like 100." Joe said jokingly just as they pulled into the hotel. They walked in to get their room.

Getting ready in the room:

After they were unloading the things that they needed to get ready and Joe put Mel's last bag on the bed closest to her, he plopped down on it. He payed next to the suitcase that her clothes were in. She came over and tried to unzip it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Hey Joe, can you unzip this?"

"Here Aunt Mel, I will do it." Said Ryder, he tried and still couldn't get the zipper.

"Maybe we will have to cut the clothes out!" Lennox added.

"No here, I've got it." Joe said heroically. "Mel sit on it." He said. She climbed up and sat on the suitcase. Slowly he tugged in the zipper and Mel watched as his muscles flexed and bulged out of his shirt. Soon she heard the noise that the zipper made and it made he stop staring.

"At least he's good for something." Mel said jokingly to Pete.

"You have no idea." Joe returned winking in her direction.

"Dream on Longo." She said as she rolled her eyes, and Joe plopped back down on the bed.

"Hey Aunt Mel, do you mind if we go for a drive with Uncle Pete? We were going to look for a place like Walmart." Lennox asked.

"Please Aunt Mel." Ryder begged.

Mel looked over at Joe.

"Sure." They said simultaneously.

Pete gave Joe an accusing look, and Joe rolled his eyes in response.

"Do you guys need anything?" Pete asked.

"Popcorn would be nice, just don't be gone too long." Mel said.

"Okay." They said as they walked out the door.

There were a few minutes of silence as Joe watched her sort the items in the suitcase next to him.

"Longo, who am I looking to impress the most?" Mel asked nervously.

"Nonna, my grandmother." Joe replied.

"What's her favorite color?" Mel asked.

"I don't think she has one. It doesn't matter anyway. STOP WORRYING SO MUCH!"

"Thanks a lot Longo, again you've saved the day." She said sarcastically.

"Well if she had to choose she would probably pick purple."

"Purple it is, I will be right back."

She went into the bathroom. Then, she put on a wide strapped, boat neck shirt that scooped just a little lower than her collar bone. It was dark purple with a 2 to 3 inch band of black rhinestones at the neck line. She put on a dark, denim lencil skirt that ended just above her knees, and a pair of black wedges. The outfit was not too tight fitting or short. For the most part it was age appropriate and flattered her. She looked casual, but very put together. It wasn't slitty, but still made her feel sexy in a sophisticated way. It was a very flirty outfit, and it highlighted her curves. It was not to much to meet the family in. This was exactly the ocassions to wear this.

"Is this okay? Mind you, I will have makeup and jewelry on and my hair will be done." Mel asked Joe.

"Mel you always look good." He said. She gave him a slightly surprised look. "Yes Mel, I am telling you the truth, and as much as it hurt me it was an honest compliment."

"Awe thanks Longo. You always look good too, but don't get too much sun with those V-Necks, you will get an awkward tan." She said laughing.

"I sensed a little bit of a compliment there, but I think you could do better."

"Well I think I could, but your shirts are usually tighter than mine so..."

Joe reached up and grabbed her around the waist, and began tickling her.

"I...hahahahaha, can't...teeeeheeeheee, breathe...ahahaha." She said between squeals.

"Okay, but unless you want to be tickled more, you owe me one himest comliment." Joe looked her in the eyes and chuckled. He let her go.

"Okay Joe, here's your compliment..." she said as she laid next to him trying to catch her breath. "You are a really good kisser." She said flirtatiously as she stood up.

He smiled, "I know, and I could say the same about you."

Mel then went into the bathroom and did her hair and makeup. Joe watched her from the bed and smiled. Soon the door opened, and Pete came in with the kids and a few bags. Then Lennox popped the popcorn and sat on the bed next to Joe. She didn't sleep much on the plane and soon she was asleep next to him. Joe smiled and brushed her hair off of her face lovingly. That simple gesture made Mel smile, and Pete noticed. He was sitting in a chair at the table playing solitaire and Ryder was laying in the other bed watching TV. They looked like a family together.

Soon after, Mel was finished getting ready. She woke Lennox up to let her get ready. The Longo house was about an hour and a half away and they wanted to get there by 6:00 so Lennox only had about 30 minutes to get ready. While Mel's was getting ready Joe packed almost everything back into the car and Ryder got ready, but now he was sleepping and taking up the entire one bed. Joe was sleeping on the other bed but there was space next to him, so Mel laid down there. Lennox looked in and smiled, beacuse it was all part of her and Uncle Pete's plan. Ryder didn't really know what was going on, but since Uncle Pete paid him he was going along with it and listening to their instructions.

"Aunt Mel, Joe wake up!" Ryder yelled.

They opened their eyes and everyone was looking at them. It was very awkward.

"Come on! It's time to go!" Lennox said excitedly. "Uncle Pete finished packing the car while you two were sleeping."

"Mel sat up and turned to Lennox, "Is my hair okay?"

"Yeah it looks great." she said as she pulled her aunt out the door.

Finally after a long drive they got to a huge vineyard on the countryside. They were about 50 minutes away from Rome in a town called Abruzzo.

"Awesome Joe! I didn't know we were stopping at a vineyard." Mel said.

Joe laughed as they drove through the acres of grapes. "This is where my family lives." He said.

"Its beautiful!" Said Lennox.

Mel was speechless.

"Awesome!" Ryder said, and Pete smiled.

"You are going to love it here!" Pete said.

"I know! I'm not going to want to go home, EVER!" Mel said.

"We can come here more often Mel." Joe laughed. "My grandparents are rich and I'm their favorite!" He said.

"How come they've never visited us before?" She asked.

"One, they have to take care of all of this, and two, I've always made excuses for them not to."

"Why?" Mel asked.

"Gee, I don't know." Joe said sarcastically.

Mel rolled her eyes at him. They were still driving through the vineyard.

"Just to let you know pretty much all of my family live in the one house so when you see it don't..."

"OH MY GOD! Is that your house?!" She said as they pulled up.

"...freak out. Yes Mel, that is our house."

"It's like a freaking mansion!"

"OMG!" Lennox screamed as they pulled up to the garage.

"Who is that?!" Ryder asked looking at a teenage girl holding a little boys hand.

They asked a million questions in the next 30 seconds.

"Joey dear, is that you?" Nonna yelled from that yard. He parked and then opened the door. It was time for his family to meet his family.

A/N: Hope you loved it! Please take a minute to review and private message me with ideas. This is going to develop into a really good story! The next chapter will be called Meet Mel :)