****

The Next Morning…

--

Mellody closed the door to Mac's office behind her.  It took a moment for the Editor In Chief to realize what the noise was he'd heard and look up.  "What do you want Cynders?" he asked gruffly.

Mellody chuckled.  In her entire time here at the Times, he'd been gruff to everyone.  But the gruffness covered a softy at heart.  It didn't hurt that he was great to her - both in bed and at home.  "Calm down Mac.  I want to call in a favor."

Mac looked up at her and leaned back in his chair.  "What kind of favor?"  He knew that his wife only called in favors when she really wanted something bad.

"Do you have any kind of story that would involve sending a reporter out to Chicago?"

He eyed her a minute as she sauntered over to his desk and sat down on the corner of it.  Mac watched her smile coyly and reach for his tie.  "Might.  Why?"

"Hope needs to go to Chicago to finish some business."

"Can't, she took the editor's position."

"Well, she can do one last story for you.  Come on Mac.  One last story for her before she moves on.  Something easy."

Mac sighed and chewed his lip.  "I think I can come up with something.  Maybe the Chief Editor over in Entertainment can cook up something for her.  A sort of 'welcome present' to the department."

--

Alex smiled as she leaned in the doorway to Frank's office.

"Are you here for a reason, or are you just there to lean in the doorway?"

"Ever the dry sense of humor.  Jesus you've been unbearable since Hope left.  Here – say thank you."

Frank looked at the envelope that Alex dropped on the desk in front of him.  "What's this?"

"What does it look like?"

Frank sighed and picked it up.  He turned it over and opened it.  Inside was a round trip ticket to New York and a sticky note with a phone number on it.  "An airplane ticket to New York.  No Alex, I'm not going."

"Why?  You love her right?"

"Yes, you know I do."

"So get off of your dead ass and go after her.  Talk to her about why she left.  That name and phone number belong to the Editor of the New York Times.  He's the one who hired Hope right out of the Tribune.  He's bound to know where she is at any given time.

"I said no.  I won't be pushed into it."

"So that's that?  You're going to let her go that easily after everything you told me a few days ago?"

"She's the one who left me, Alex.  I didn't-"

"Oh get off of your soap box Frank!  You might as well have pushed her off of the top of the Sear's Tower with your 'my team comes first' thing.  Jesus Frank, would it have killed you to have told her ONE TIME that you loved her?"

Frank looked up at her for a moment, then at the ticket.  What harm would it do for him to at least fly to New York for the weekend?  If he ran across Hope, then fine, maybe he'd get some answers out of her.  Maybe he'd finally work up the strength to tell her that he did love her and put the ball back into her court regarding their relationship.

Alex watched the gears working in his head.  "Oh for the love of God Frank…"  She sighed and sat down.  "You're thinking about this way too much.  For once, just once, put your logic aside and let your heart do the thinking."

"You get into trouble that way Alex.  You do irrational and stupid things."

"What?  Like fall in love with a complete stranger just because of what she writes in a letter to you?"

Frank was about to answer her when he just stopped.  Alex was right…  Somewhere in his and Hope's relationship, he stopped feeling and started thinking.  There were just too many variables for him to consider when it came to protecting Hope and it got the better of him.

"Take the ticket, go to New York.  You'll feel better about it."  Alex smiled and stood up, leaving Frank alone to think about it.  She knew instinctively that he'd go.

Frank picked up the ticket and eyed it carefully.  The flight left in a few hours.  Would he have enough time to go home and pack?  "Aw hell…" he sighed as he pushed away from the desk and stood up.  It was only an over night trip.  He had credit cards.  Anything he needed if he decided to stay overnight he could purchase in New York.  Without another word he rushed out of his office, out of the Nest and into a cab.

"O'Hare International.  Quickly."

--

"You're WHAT?!"

"Now Quinn…"  Mac cringed as Hope stood up over his desk and glared evilly at him.  Those lime green eyes were positively electric in their anger.

"Now nothing Mac!!  I just got the job over in Entertainment and you want to send me to Chicago for one last hurrah??  No thank you!  I ran from Chicago as fast as I could and I don't relish a trip back!"

"Ran?  Just what did you run from?"  Mac sat forward as Quinn blinked and straightened up.

"Uhm, did I say ran?  I… didn't… run from anything.. I ran TO this job."  She sat down slowly, chewing her lower lip.

"Uh huh.  And I'm Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.  Look kid, you're going to Chicago to cover this story and that's that.  It's only a two-day trip, fluff writing for you.  Here's your ticket and itinerary.  You've got a room booked at the Adam's Mark Hotel and  the 'Hawk's PR person will be expecting you for dinner."

"Mac…"  Hope sighed and took the envelope.  "I know jack about sports writing, precious less about hockey."

"Don't think of it as a sports column interview.  Think of it as a biography of sorts or an entertainment value that our affiliate in Chicago hasn't thought to share with us yet.  Go on Quinn, you've only got a few hours before your plane leaves and traffic is a nightmare.  You'll be lucky if you make it home to pack a suitcase at all.  If you need to, you can use the expense account to purchase clothing and necessities for your stay.  But, keep the receipts so that accounting will know how much to hit you up for when the bills come in."

Hope groaned.  Chicago.  Frank.  What the hell did she do to deserve this?  She breezed out of Mac's office and stopped by her desk to pick up her credentials and a few necessary items before she left.  She couldn't help but notice Mellody's 'cat that ate the canary' look as she watched Hope get ready to leave.  "Please tell me you didn't have anything to do with this sudden trip?"

"No, no, not at all."  Mellody smiled serenely and laid her pen down in front of her keyboard.  "I had nothing to do with this interview."

Hope froze and raised up slowly, her Press Credentials in one hand.  Mellody had just tipped the scales to reveal her hand in it.  "You scheming, conniving…"

"Now, Hope.."

"Now nothing!!  I should never have told you about Frank and why I left Chicago!"  Tears stung Hope's eyes at the thought of being played into this spot by her friend. 

"You have to get it over with Hope.  Find Frank and talk to him.  Let him know how you feel and tell him why you left."

"He knows why I left and he knows how I feel."  Hope dropped down into her chair dejectedly and sighed.  "I just wish I knew how he felt about me."

Mellody chuckled softly at Hope.  In some ways, she was still so innocent.

"Is it so wrong of me to want to hear him say the words?  I mean, just because he doesn't say it, does it mean that he doesn't love me?"

"Oh honey.  Let me tell you a little secret: some men just can't say the words."  She smiled as she looked into Hope's eyes.  "But, that doesn't mean that they don't feel it in their heart.  Go to Chicago, talk to Frank.  If nothing else, you'll feel better for having done so."

Hope watched Mellody for a second, then nodded.  Picking up the itinerary and her purse, she nearly flew down the hallway, into the elevator, across the lobby and into a waiting taxi.

"JFK International Airport.  Quickly."

****