Disclaimer: Sooo not mine.

A/n: I've been trying to catch up on some of the fics I haven't updated in awhile, and an idea for this one finally popped into my head. I think this fic might be winding to a close, but there are probably at least a couple chapters left. I hope you all enjoy! Please let me know what you think.

Midnight (And Other Times) at the Airport

A story by Ryeloza

Monday, August 8, 2016 – 8:53pm

Lynette was fussing.

It was a side of her that Tom hadn't seen often over the years, but at the moment she was practically smothering Preston—talking a mile a minute, asking questions like she was reading off of a checklist, straightening the collar of his shirt. Tom watched the whole thing with some kind of strange fascination, just shy of wondering if some other woman had taken over his wife's body. Lynette had never been the type of mother to overreact, causing some commotion over every bumped elbow or scraped knee. She took things in stride, and it was probably a good part of the reason why their kids were so independent.

Right now, he never would have believed that.

"Are you sure you have your passport?"

"Yeah, Mom. Do you need to see it again?"

"No. Just make sure you have it with you at all times. And don't leave it just lying around. Especially in those hostels."

"I know."

"And call us if you need anything. I stuck some pre-paid phone cards in your bag just in case something happens to your phone. Do you have enough money? Oh! Tickets!"

Preston glanced at Tom, clearly desperate for him to intervene, but Tom felt reluctant to put an end to the interrogation. As soon as he did, his son was going to head through security and they wouldn't see him again for months. He wasn't sure if he was any more ready to deal with that reality than Lynette was.

"I have my tickets, Mom. My wallet, money, credit card. I have everything I need. And if I'm going to catch my flight, I kind of have to go."

"Oh! You know what you need," said Lynette, sounding rather as if she hadn't heard a word Preston had said. "One of those neck pillows. It's such a long flight."

"I don't—"

"Just wait here. I'll be right back."

"Mom—"

For the first time in nearly fifteen minutes, Tom moved from where he leaned against an ATM, reaching out and catching Preston by the arm. "Just let her go," he said in a low voice.

"She's acting crazy."

"Yeah," agreed Tom. "But you're leaving for the next six months, so I think she has the right to act like your mom for a few more minutes."

"She's not acting like my mom."

"No, she's acting like my mom, but that's her prerogative right now." Tom smiled tightly, but Preston just rolled his eyes. The familiarity of the gesture caught him off guard, and a lump rose in his throat. Anxiously, he swallowed and squeezed Preston's shoulder. "When she gets back, just smile and thank her, and then I promise, I'll get her to leave."

"You swear."

"Well I'll do my best. It is your mom."

Preston scowled. "What is going on with her?"

"I told you—"

"No. Not just today. She's been acting weird for over a week now. Yesterday she threw up right in the middle of making dinner."

Tom sighed, wondering on a scale of one to a hundred, how close he'd come to death if he told Preston that his mother was pregnant. She wasn't eager to tell anyone, not even the kids, but it didn't seem like the type of news they should spring to him on the phone while he was thousands of miles away. "Look," said Tom, cautiously decided, "your mom and I found out that she's pregnant."

"What?"

"She's pregnant. Due in April."

"No…"

"Yeah. And you can't say anything. Not to your mom, especially not to your brothers and sister. Your mom doesn't want anyone to know for a couple months yet."

Preston shook his head, apparently as stunned as Tom had been when he'd heard. He was beginning to wonder if anyone in the family was going to take this with anything less than pure shock and denial. "You okay?" he asked, trying to prod Preston into some sort of coherent response.

"Yeah. Sure. I just can't believe you're going to have another kid. That's so…weird."

Tom wondered if this was the time to drop the twins bombshell as well, but at that moment, Lynette came back toward them, neck pillow in hand. Simultaneously, he and Preston pasted on identical, strained smiles, and Lynette quirked an eyebrow at them curiously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Dad said you're pregnant."

"Tom!"

Lynette slapped his shoulder as Tom cuffed the back of Preston's head. He had the fleeting thought that they probably resembled the three stooges, and shook it away like an annoying gnat. This was a moment where focus would be a plus. "He's leaving for Europe. Don't you think he should know?"

She sighed conciliatorily, though Tom certainly couldn't take that as agreement. "Please don't tell your siblings."

"Yeah, Dad covered that already."

"Oh, Dad's on top of things, huh?"

"Come on, Mom," said Preston, reaching out and taking the pillow. "It's not a big deal. And I'll be back before the baby is born."

Without warning, Lynette's eyes filled with tears, and she pulled Preston down for a hug. "You're really leaving," she said, her voice muffled by a sob. Preston glanced at him helplessly, and Tom finally felt a tug of pity.

"Come on, sweetie," he said, gently wrapping an arm around Lynette and tugging her away from their son. "He really needs to get going."

"I'm not ready."

"Mom," said Preston, a hint of whining creeping into his tone. Tom shook his head sharply, and Preston sighed. "I'll call when I land, okay?"

Lynette nodded, too choked up to speak, and Tom leaned forward to give Preston a one-armed hug. His own eyes were suspiciously damp now, but in an effort not to completely freak his son out, he managed to keep himself in check.

"Good luck with…all that," said Preston quietly. In spite of everything, Tom chuckled. This was the tip of the iceberg as far as he was concerned, but Preston had no idea. Slowly, he pulled back, keeping a firm hold of Lynette.

"Be safe," she said as Preston picked up his bag. "Call us."

"I will."

"Don't do anything stupid," added Tom.

Preston smirked, backing away as though he was afraid that they wouldn't stop until he was actually out of sight. "Yeah," he said. "Same to you."

"We love you."

"Love you too." He gave a little wave, turned, and took off toward security. For several minutes, Tom and Lynette stood there, not moving or speaking, even once their son was out of sight. It felt surreal to think that he was actually gone, and Tom couldn't help but wonder how long it would be until all of their kids were gone.

Lynette sniffled, turning and burying her face in his chest. Tom hugged her tightly and rocked her a little, a few of his own tears finally spilling over and running down into her hair. "He's going to be okay," he said.

"I know."

Tom kissed the top of her head reassuringly, even knowing that nothing was going to make this better. Whatever happened, this was one of those goodbyes that would stick with them forever.