Call To The Wild

Chapter 8

This is love

to fly toward

a secret sky,

to cause a hundred veils

to fall each moment.

First to let go of life.

Finally, to take a step without feet.

.

Rumi

.

.

.

EVERYTHING I NEED

The harsh shrill of a ringing phone cut through the soft hypnotic sounds of crashing waves and morning gulls, pulling Addison awake. Her eyes blinked open as they adjusted to the bright morning. She ignored the phone, silencing it, and focused on the man whose arms she had fallen asleep in. She smiled and placed a gentle kiss behind his ear.

"I thought I was dreaming," he said sleepily as he turned to face her. "But here you are, still in my arms."

She smiled even more as his lips met hers. "I can't believe we fell asleep out here."

"I've dreamed of waking up next to you so many times, but the reality is so much better… It's like our own little slice of heaven… just you and me… out in the wild."

"I wish we could stay here forever," she whispered, pulling his lips back to hers.

"Me too, Wildflower… Someday."

"I like the way that sounds," she said as her phone dinged. "I should probably check that," she sighed as she started to reach for it.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. "Not yet… I'm not ready to let real life back in."

She melted back into him. "Neither am I." Her phone dinged again.

Zed let out a soft laugh, kissing her once more. "Go ahead and check it."

She smiled against his lips. "We did leave everyone at the house last night with no note or warning."

"Good point."

She reached for her phone, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I shouldn't have checked…" she mumbled as she scrolled through the numerous texts and missed called.

"Everything okay?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. Just my parents. They wanted me to meet them for mass at Trinity this morning," she said as she read through the messages. "...and it looks like they're bailing on Sunday lunch with my grandmother." She sighed and shook her head. "They always do that…" she mumbled.

"Do what?"

"Skip out on my grandma… I'll never understand it. She's like the best person ever…" she rolled back over into his chest and looked up into his eyes as an idea crossed her mind. "This is going to sound crazy, and sudden…"

Zed laughed and kissed her. "That's kind of our thing."

She giggled and pushed his shoulder until he was lying on his back. She straddled his waist and leaned down to kiss him. "Would you like to come to lunch with me and meet her?"

Zed propped himself up on his elbows. "You want me to meet someone from your family?"

"Only if you want to. I know you're only in town for a short time, and Eliza and Bonzo…"

He cut her off with his lips against hers. "I'd love to."

"But what about…"

He cut her off again. "You. Always."

She smiled and relaxed into his arms. "As much as we're trying to keep our engagement to ourselves, it's going to eventually get out...I have a feeling we're going to need Grandma Mellie on our side."

"What time is it right now?"

Addison looked back at her phone. "A little after eight."

"That still gives us plenty of time…" he whispered, guiding her face back to his as he laid them down.

Zed nervously wiped his hands down the front of his jeans as they walked hand-in-hand into the entryway of the Kennedy-Warren building.

"Relax," Addison smiled, resting her head against his shoulder as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'm trying," he said quietly under his breath.

Addison's smile turned from warm to wicked, and she pulled him down for a long kiss.

He moaned into her mouth and spun her around, pressing her back against the rear wall as he ground against her, lost in sensation.

Neither of them noticed when the elevator doors dinged and opened. It wasn't until the sound of someone clearing their throat managed to cut through their haze that they pulled apart.

Zed's eyes widened in alarm.

"I'm assuming this is the young man Ms. Jefferey was referring to as your boyfriend?"

Addison peered around Zed with a large smile on her face. "Gus!" She grabbed Zed's hand and pulled him out of the elevator. "What are you doing here?!"

"This is where I was reassigned."

"I'm sure my grandmother is just loving that!"

Gus gave her a tight smile. "Yeah… now I know where you get it all from."

Addison turned to Zed. "Up until yesterday, Gus was my secret service detail," she explained before turning back to Gus. "This is Zed… And to answer your previous question, yes he is who Bree was talking about. But he isn't my boyfriend."

Gus eyed them both skeptically. "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm very sure about that."

He shook his head and smiled. "Whatever you say, kid… whatever you say…" he stepped aside and opened the door to the apartment. "Your grandmother is on the terrace."

"Thanks, Gus… I'm glad I'll be able to see you more often!"

"I knew you'd miss me," he laughed.

Addison rolled her eyes playfully and laughed as she pulled Zed with her towards the door. "Not enough to re-instate you."

Mellie Buchanan had a splendid apartment, complete with multiple terraces and formal spaces. Despite the grandeur of the dining room, she preferred to have most meals on the terrace which had a cozy eating area.

"This place is amazing," Zed said once they were safely inside. "You guys definitely have a different meaning of the word apartment."

Addison giggled. "Yeah… I guess multiple formal spaces, balconies, and more bedrooms than an average house is a bit more than your typical apartment… but," she shrugged her shoulders. "She is a Buchanan. And this set-up is pretty typical for the widow of a late senator."

"Is that my Addie?" a soft voice called out from one of the open glass doors.

Addison turned to Zed with a twinkle in her eyes. "She's going to love you! Just be yourself! We're safe here," she reached up on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek before pulling him along onto one of the terraces. "Grandma Mellie!" she said excitedly.

Zed watched as an older, but still striking woman, about the same height as Addison, stood up to greet them. She embraced Addison warmly. "I hope that blasted secret service agent didn't give you too much trouble."

Addison smiled and shook. "Cut Gus some slack. He's good people."

"Be that as it may, he's still here to keep an eye on me. I should be free to live my life!"

"Preaching to the choir, Grandma!"

Mellie took a step back and gave her an appraising look. "Freedom looks good on you, my dear… now ditch the wig and introduce me to that handsome fellow lurking in my doorway."

Addison let out a soft laugh and carefully unpinned her blonde wig. "Grandma Mellie, this is Zed Necrodopolus," she said as she shook out her platinum white hair.

"My my my… my granddaughter certainly has good taste."

Zed blushed and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Buchanan."

"Oh none of that, just call me Mellie. Mrs. Buchanan was my mother-in-law. I prefer to keep my distance from anything that reminds me of that horrid woman."

"I'll try to remember that, Mellie."

Mellie turned to Addison. "Do your parents know?"

"Know what?" Addison asked innocently.

"That you have a boyfriend. The last I heard, they had their hearts set on you marrying that god-awful Waldorf kid."

Addison shivered. "That is never going to happen. And Zed isn't my boyfriend."

"Is that so…" Mellie said giving her a once over, she turned to Zed and did the same. "No… I suppose he isn't…" She looked at Addison and with a mischievous smile. "He's something more, isn't he."

"How did you…" Addison started to ask, only to be cut off by her grandmother's laughter.

"Oh please, deary… If it weren't for my ability to read people and situations as well as I can your grandfather would have never kept his senate seat. And you two… it's written all over your faces. Why don't you sit down? Let's eat and you can tell me all the juicy details!"

Zed and Addison both sat down at the table as Mellie walked back into the house.

"Well… this has been unexpected," Zed laughed.

Addison smiled and kissed his cheek. "I told you Grandma Mellie was great. She's the one who gave me the idea of bleaching my hair to evade my security detail… And much like me, my brother, and Bucky, she was considered the black sheep of the family back in the day. She was an actress when she met my grandfather. Drove my Great Grandmother insane that he broke off his engagement and ran off with her!"

"Did I hear you mention Bucky?" Mellie asked as she walked back onto the terrace with a tray of sandwiches.

Zed stood up and helped her.

"Such a gentleman," she beamed, pinching his cheek before sitting down. "How is my grandson?"

"Doing well," Addison answered. "He's in Prague doing press for his latest movie."

"How is this one?" She asked warily.

"I think it might be the best one he's ever been in," Addison said, stealing a glance at Zed. "Then again, I've never made it past the first ten minutes."

Zed smiled and grasped her hand under the table.

"I see… Are you also in this movie, Zed?"

He nodded. "I am."

"And is that how you two met?"

Addison giggled. "Not exactly… We met at Burning Man."

Mellie's eyes lit up. "You went?"

Addison nodded.

"Oh, I'm so glad you managed it, Deary. How was the memorial?"

"Wyatt did an amazing job… in fact, the artist Wyatt brought on to create it is Zed's best friend. That's how we met."

Mellie smiled and held her hand against her heart. "He's still watching over you… oh, I miss that boy."

"Me too," Addison sighed. "But, yeah… when I left Burning Man, I didn't tell Zed anything about me, or leave him anyway to find me."

"She told me that we'd meet each other again when the road decided it was time for our paths to cross again."

Mellie chuckled. "And it appears the universe did plan for that."

"The next weekend at the premiere," Addison smiled. "As soon as I saw Zed on the silver screen I went outside to clear my head. I had every intention to leave without saying a word, but I looked up at the full moon, knowing Xan was meddling somehow…"

"And that's when I walked outside," Zed said, bringing their joint hands up so he could kiss hers.

Mellie sat back in her chair and smiled. "Love fits you both well… So… tell me all the details, where did happen?" She gasped and looked at them excitedly. "Am I the first one to know you've eloped?!"

Addison threw her head back and laughed. "Easy there, Grandma… we didn't elope."

She looked between the two of them. "You didn't?"

Addison shook her head. "No." She looked over to Zed. "Her and my grandfather eloped. Literally, the only two in the entire family to avoid the curse."

"You know I don't believe in that old tall tale. I tried to tell your mother that same thing, but your Great Grandmother…" she shook her head. "She had that poor girl scared silly and had her set up with your father before I could stop it. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore you and your brother, but your father is not who I would have wanted Missy to marry. She should have married for love, not to avoid some silly scary story."

"Grandma, really?" Addison asked with a heavy sigh. "Bad things happen in this family when love is involved… And…" her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I'm terrified.. I love Zed more than I could ever say."

Mellie stood up and hugged her. "I couldn't protect Xander, but I'll do everything I can to protect you…" she looked over to Zed and smiled. "You too."

"Thank you, Mellie."

"No need to thank me, Zed. This family is a lot to try and deal with, especially for outsiders like us," she said with a wink. "Now, if you two didn't elope, what's this nonsense about you not being my granddaughter's boyfriend? There's clearly something I'm missing."

Zed looked at Addison, asking her silently if it was okay to tell her.

Addison nodded subtly and smiled.

"I proposed while we were in Paris."

Mellie gasped. "Well, that is just about the most romantic thing…"

Zed's phone began to ring. He glanced down at the screen and swallowed loudly.

"Uhoh…" Addison whispered. "I've seen that look on Bucky's face. That's the Acey's, isn't it?"

He nodded his head.

"You better take that," Mellie said. "Those three are ruthless and I do not want one of them showing up on my doorstep again."

Zed nodded again and stood up. "If you'll excuse me for just a moment."

Addison and her grandmother watched as he walked back into the house.

"Your parents are going to hate him," Mellie whispered with a conspiratorial smile.

"I know… but I don't care."

"Good," Mellie laughed. "You know this isn't going to be easy."

"I know… but again, I don't care. Zed's worth it."

Mellie kissed the top of her granddaughter's head, "So are you."

They both looked back up as Zed walked back onto the terrace.

"Everything okay?" Addison asked.

"You remember that fan last night who I took the picture with?"

"Yeah."

"She posted it to Instagram… with a location tag."

"Uh oh…"

He nodded. "That was Lacey calling...They know I'm not in Prague."

"How much trouble are you in?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "They want me back before the morning. I was already planning on flying back tonight anyway."

"Was my grandson supposed to be covering for you?" Mellie asked.

"Bucky doesn't know we're together," Addison said before Zed could.

"Really? Why not? He could help… not with the Acey's of course… but with the family. You two are going to need all the help you can get."

Addison sighed. "I'll think about it."

"Nonsense. You leave it to me. You know he can't tell me no."

Zed smiled and sat back down next to Addison. "I have the feeling not many people tell you no."

Mellie laughed softly. "That is the greatest part of being me. I can do whatever I want!"

"Must be liberating."

"It is," she smiled. "Now… back to the business at hand, or in this case, not on hand."

Both Zed and Addison looked at her in confusion.

"I know things are very hush, hush, right now, but… if you two would like, I'd love for you to select rings from the family collection."

"Really?" Addison asked hopefully.

"Of course, you're my favorite granddaughter."

"I'm your only granddaughter."

"Small technicality," Mellie smiled.

"Mellie, we couldn't impose like that."

"Nonsense. Consider it a sign of my blessing… When this finally gets out, it'll help ease things over if the family knows you have my support."

"Well, if you insist," he said with a laugh.

"I do."

Addison giggled and stood up to hug her grandmother. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Deary." She stood up and motioned for them to follow. "I've amassed quite the collection over the years, not to mention your Great Grandmother left all of her baubles to you Grandfather."

"But wouldn't Mom want to look through them first?"

Mellie chuckled as she led them up the stairs. "Your mother has been raiding my jewelry boxes for years. So has your uncle. Your brother even rifled through looking for stones to use for Wyatt's ring. But, there are a few I've had set aside just for you," she said as she opened up the double doors of the library. "There's one in particular I think would be just perfect…" She walked over to the bureau and unlocked the bottom drawer, pulling out an old leather case. "Of course you're more than welcome to look for yourselves…" She opened up the case and waved them over. "But, I have a feeling about this one."

Addison gasped as she laid eyes on the ring her grandmother had pulled out. "Isn't that…"

"I know that ring," Zed whispered.

"It's the one your great-cousin Jack proposed to Jackie with," Mellie said, hugging Addison's shoulders. "With that slight hint of green showing through in Zed's hair and your white hair, I immediately thought of this ring. Not to mention this ring goes against the 'family curse'."

Zed swallowed loudly. "Um, JFK was assassinated."

"But he and Jackie were never really in love," Mellie said with a triumphant smile as she handed it over to him. "That marriage was as arranged as they come. Therefore proving my theory that the only curse in this family is politics."

"It is beautiful…" he said quietly. "And fitting."

"That ring deserves a happy ending, just like the two of you."

Zed looked up and met Addison's eyes. "What do you think?"

"It's stunning… and non-traditional… and one of a kind…"

"Just like you," he breathed, walking closer to her. He reached out and took her left hand in his, sliding the ring onto her finger.

Addison's breath caught. "It's a perfect fit."

"It's like it was always meant to be…" He rested his forehead against hers. "Just like you and me."

"How could we ever try to fight this?"

"We can't," he whispered. "But I'll spend the rest of my life fighting for you. I love you Wildflower."

"I love you, too, mon couer sauvage."

"It's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you forever, every day. You and me… every day."

"You're right," she giggled. "The Notebook is rather appropriate."

He closed the small distance between them and kissed her. "You're everything I need."

"And you're everything to me."

Mellie clapped excitedly. "Oh, you two!"

They pulled apart smiling.

Addison glanced down at the ring on her finger. She held it up and laughed. "There's no way I could hide this, though. Next to Princess Di's, this is like the most famous engagement ring ever."

Mellie nodded and went back to the jewelry case. "Then you'll just have to wear it on this until the time is right," she said pulling out a delicate gold chain.

"It's perfect!" She pulled the ring off her finger and slipped it onto the chain. "Would you?" she asked Zed.

He walked behind her and took the ends, kissing her neck as he closed the clasp.

She looked down to the ring now resting against her heart and smiled.

"Have you two discussed plans?"

"Plans?" Addison asked, looking up.

"On how you're going to go about actually getting married."

Zed and Addison exchanged a look.

"I'll take that as a no," Mellie laughed.

Addison took Zed's hand in hers. "It would have to be someplace remote… in the wild."

"In the Spring, with wildflowers surrounding us," Zed added.

"And at night, under the moon and stars."

Mellie sighed and rested her hand on her heart. "I couldn't imagine anything more romantic… when the time comes, I'll have everything you'll need ready." She hugged them both.

A little while later, it was time for them to say their goodbyes. As they walked towards the front doors of Mellie's apartment, she stopped them and held their hands in hers. "Remember, always follow the wild and chase the storms."

"We will," Zed replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Thank you for everything."

Mellie smiled and patted his cheek. "Welcome to the family, Zed." She looked over to Addison and pulled her into a hug. "Hold on tight, Deary. All the tides are going to be against you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This poor neglected story of mine… Thank you if you're still reading this! I promise it is actually going somewhere.

Thank you so much to SWChica2005 for coming up with Grandma Mellie in her story "Not A Monster". I loved the name!