"Do you think we'll be happy here?"

Chris looked up from his plate, "I think so," he set the fork down. "Why? Do you not like it here?"

Melanie shrugged, "It's just…loud," she sighed. "I didn't expect everything to be so loud and intense."

It was their first full day in the new apartment, having only arrived the night before. Just two days after New Years, Chris and Melanie finally moved across the country to their new home in Manhattan. It had been a tiring day, packing up the extra things they accumulated over the week and half in Seattle, and saying their goodbyes to their friends. Jim and Leonard drove them to the airport by noon, opting to leave Joanna at the house with Nyota and Spock; just to avoid the nervous breakdown that the younger child would have, saying goodbye to her Aunt and new Uncle. It didn't help when Melanie started crying, as she hugged her brother goodbye.

"Eventually we'll get used to it," Chris said, taking her hand in his. "It's a big change, Mel."

She nodded, "I know," she said, looking down at her dish.

Chris sighed, "How about today we go food shopping?" he suggested. "Figure out where everything is by us and then we'll come home, make lunch and go down to the park?"

"You don't have to be at the restaurant?" she asked. "I thought Richard needed to see you about your schedule?"

"He said to settle in first," he stood up, collecting their empty glasses. "We do need to unpack our stuff and move the furniture around."

Melanie nodded, "And we need to get a couch," she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Plus, we need to buy a bed and a few more tables."

Chris filled their glasses up with water, "We can look for a few things while we're out," he promised. "I know you want to decorate and make this place look like home."

"I do," she nodded; looking around at the bare, white walls. "I' glad we can paint!"

Returning to the table, Chris set her glass down and took a seat. "I think we should both look at colors before you go and buy any paint," he said. "No lime green."

She pouted and Chris shook his head, "No."

"Fine!" she sighed, picking up her fork again. "Can I at least get something that's lime green? A pillow case?"

"We'll see," he chuckled, as she poked at her chicken. "Maybe I'll let you paint something lime green. But not an entire room."

…..

By the end of the week, Chris had seen the restaurant and put together a schedule to start at the end of the month. Melanie wasn't needed as much in the office, as Doctor Singh let her work from home; thus, giving her plenty of time to redecorate their apartment. The walls were painted in the living room; a deep brown that matched their new sofa and tables. The bedroom was transformed into a peaceful zone, the walls a periwinkle blue with a matching bedspread.

Clothes went into the closet and dressers; the pictures nailed the walls and placed on various shelves and tables. By Thursday, the only remaining details that were left were minimal; items that were being shipped from Seattle would arrive in the following week and a new washer and dryer were due the next day.

Melanie was hanging a photo on the wall, when the front door opened.

"Honey, I'm home!" Chris called out, shutting the door behind him.

"In here!" she shouted from the extra bedroom, turning her attention back to her work.

A few minutes later, Chris was standing in the doorway, looking around at the work she accomplished in the last few hours. "Looks good in here," he said with a smile.

"Took forever to move that desk," she huffed, stepping back to admire her work. "But it came out pretty good."

Chris stepped into the room, wrapping his arm around her waist. "It looks more than good," he said. "It's perfect."

She giggled, "I still need to organize my bookcase and hang up my degrees," she sighed. "I didn't unpack any of your stuff. I figured you'd want to do all that, so I moved the boxes onto that desk over there."

He nodded, "I'll do it later," he kissed her cheek. "You hungry?"

"A little," she looked up at him. "How was your meeting with Richard?"

"Good," he nodded. "I start next week and I met a few of the guys that are going to be working under me."

Melanie giggled, "Just what I need, " she groaned. "A fiancé with a massive ego strolling in after work!"

Chris silence her with a kiss, "You like it when I boast about my job," he smirked. "Along with many other things."

She rolled her eyes, "Let's go," she nudged him. "Time for you to make me a sandwich! I worked all morning to make this room look as good as it does."

"But.." he started, before she pinched him. "OW!"

"Move!" she demanded, slapping his behind. "Get in that kitchen and start making my food!"

Chris scowled, "Or what?" he asked.

"No sex!" she smirked, as he gaped at her. "Now get your cute behind into gear!"

He grumbled, moving out of the office and into the hallway; Melanie hot on his heels. "You're getting a little out of hand with bossing me around," he said, as they moved into the kitchen.

"Well, you said you'd make up for everything you missed along with what I missed," she smiled sweetly at him. "And I missed your sandwiches and everything else you've made for me."

….

"How do you like it there?"

Melanie shrugged, "It's different. The noise level outside is a lot harder to get used to, especially with Chris snoring in my ear all night long."

Jim snorted, "That man sounds like a freight train," he shook his head. "But what about everything else? Your brother showed me the photos you sent of the apartment, which looks amazing!"

"Thank you!" she smiled. "It's a work in progress. Learning how to take the subway and how the streets are laid out here, is a little difficult. Chris had to write down detailed instructions on how to get to work and home, along with how to get to the restaurant and home."

Jim laughed, "You poor thing. Bones said you'd be walking around with written directions for a while."

Leonard appeared behind Jim, "I did not say that!" he scowled, leaning over Jim's shoulder. "I heard you're getting a snow storm this weekend."

Melanie sighed, "We are! Chris made me go with him to the store this morning to buy food and a shovel for the deck. It's too cold to even go on the deck, so why the hell we need a shovel is beyond me!"

Her brother laughed, "And where's the man of the house now? I hope you didn't leave him stranded in a subway station."

"He went out to get batteries," she sighed, as Claude jumped onto her lap.

"For what? You're vibrator?" Jim snickered, before Leonard slapped him on the back of the head.

Melanie scowled, "Why would I need a vibrator?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him. "We found the flashlights in the bottom of a box, but of course they were all dead. Chris went out to brave the cold and the crowds to find some."

Joanna could be heard chattering in the background, "Poor man," Leonard said, shaking his head. "Ya'll won't find shit there during a snow storm. East Coasters tend to freak out when they hear snow in the forecast."

"I know," Melanie sighed. "My foot got run over by a shopping cart in the bread aisle. Chris thought it was hilarious, until I made him carry all the bags for the five blocks back to the apartment."

"How's he like the new place?" Jim asked, as Joanna raced behind them into the next room.

Melanie shrugged, "He said he likes it. It's a HUGE kitchen and the guys are really nice," she sighed. "But I think he misses you all."

Jim scoffed, "Of course he does! Who wouldn't miss me?" he asked.

Leonard rolled his eyes, "That's reasonable," he said. "Did you tell him about us coming out in the spring?"

She nodded, "He can't wait," she smiled. "That was all he could talk about the other day, when we got the furniture for the extra bedroom next to the office. He wants to get a smaller bed for Jo, that way she has a place to sleep."

The sound of keys turning in the door made her turn, "Speaking of, here he is!" she said, as he came into view. "Hi honey!"

Chris looked over at her and smiled, "Got batteries!" he said, holding up a bag. "And a few candles and matches."

She smiled, "Len and Jimmy are on Facetime!" she said, nodding her head to the computer.

Removing his coat and shoes, Chris made his way over to the kitchen table and looked at the computer screen. "Boys," he gave them a curt nod.

Jim squealed, "Oohhh! You're wearing your glasses!" he smiled. "Bonesy, doesn't he look so handsome in his glasses?"

Melanie laughed as her brother whacked him with a newspaper, "Knock off, ya overgrown child!"

"Jesus.." Chris muttered, as he dropped a kiss on Melanie's cheek. "Jim must really get off on being spanked."

"I heard that!" Jim shouted, as Joanna climbed onto his lap. "Easy Jo! You're getting too big to climb on me."

"Hi Aunt Mellie! Hi Uncle Chris!" she waved at them both. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for snow, Jo," Chris said, pulling a chair over to sit next to Melanie. "What are you doing?"

Joanna leaned closer to the screen, "I'm making a mess!" she laughed. "Daddy says that if I don't stop, he's going to ground me for a week."

They laughed and listened intently, as Joanna explained what was going on in Seattle. How Spock was going to ask Nyota to move to Canada with him on her birthday, and how Jim still didn't like the man; especially when he wanted to take Nyota out of the country. When it was time for Joanna to go upstairs to do her chores, the conversation turned to business and Melanie excused herself to start dinner. They ended the chat with a promise to call the next day, along with Melanie promising to keep them updated with the snow.

"They seem to be more excited about the idea of us getting snow," Melanie said, as she filled a pot up with water. "Why do I get the feeling that they'll only call us when they hear about a massive storm coming to hit us?"

Chris stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "They'll call us for other reasons," he said, kissing her shoulder. "How about tonight we just relax? We'll make dinner and watch a movie and go to bed early."

"Are you going in tomorrow?" she asked, setting the pot down on the counter.

"Richard is gonna close the restaurant down for tomorrow, since the snow is supposed to start overnight," he shrugged. "And they closed NYU down."

Melanie turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck, "So we have an uncertain amount of free time to do whatever we want?" she asked.

Chris nodded, "Whatever you want," he said.

"Maybe we could start putting a few ideas together for our wedding?" she shrugged. "Pick a date or a color scheme? I want to have something done just to get the ball rolling."

He kissed her cheek, "We can do that," he nodded. "Maybe finish unpacking all the stuff that came earlier in the week from Seattle."

"You know," Melanie sighed. "I think we'll be okay here."

Chris smiled, "We will be," he nodded. "If you still don't like it here after a year or two, we can always go back. Whatever you want to do Mel, I'll do it. I just want to see you happy."

"I'm already happy," she swore, reaching up to play with his hair. "I have you and that's all that matters."

"I love you," he said, kissing her softly on the lips.

Melanie smiled against his lips, "I love you, too."

Giving her shoulders a squeeze, Chris moved to pick up the pot. "I'll get dinner ready," he said, moving to the stove. "You go on and change into something warm and bring a few blankets out."

She nodded, "I'll watch the food while you change," she said, moving out of the kitchen. "Could you turn the heat up?"

"I will," he said. "Hurry, hurry!"

Melanie giggled and started down the hallway to their bedroom, the cats following close behind as she went. Chris shook his head and laughed, moving to grab a box of pasta out of the cabinet. Glancing out the widow above the sink, the city skyline twinkled against the early evening sky. It had only been two weeks since they'd left Seattle, leaving their friends and family behind for a new start. Now with new jobs and planning their upcoming wedding, Chris knew they'd be fine there.

Hearing Melanie talking to the cats in the bedroom, Chris opened the box of pasta and set it down on the counter, before moving to the refrigerator.

"Come on," Melanie said from the hallway. "Daddy's making dinner and Mommy will put food in your bowl."

Chris was at the sink, washing tomatoes, when she came back in. Dressed in flannel bottoms and a long sleeved shirt, Melanie was dressed for comfort. Callie and Claude circled around her feet, as she opened the bag of cat food.

"There we go," she cooed, filling their bowl up. "Eat up because that's all your getting tonight."

The cats dove into their food, eating greedily as she stood by and watched. "Fat little babies," she shook her head.

Chris smiled to himself as she moved to the opposite counter, checking the water in the pot. They would definitely be fine.

Next Up:

The Epilogue Part 1!