Disclaimer: Still not mine. Some of it is, but mostly not.
AN: Glad to see you're enjoying the development, thanks to all who are reviewing! Makes my day!
"This is going to be painful."
It wasn't a protest or a complaint; it was simply a statement of fact. He hadn't actually complained once about being roped into this outing by his wife and mother-in-law, but she knew he wasn't happy about it. He simply stopped the car outside her mother's house and didn't move a muscle.
"Tristan, I don't want to do this either, but what if we can help?"
"Rory, how can we help their marriage? Do you even know what's wrong with them?"
She looked down to her lap before answering. "Well, no, but Mom said it was bad, and they needed time away from the kids together. So we're going up to Martha's Vineyard, to my grandparent's old place," she informed him.
"Rory, Jess told me that things weren't going so great. He mentioned some job offer in California, and her leaving despite his not going," he told her.
"What? You're kidding me!"
"Rory, calm down. We probably shouldn't know the whole story if we're going to help—once you take a side," he started.
"I'm not taking sides, I love both of them. Our goal is simply to get them to realize what a mistake not being together would be. You'd want someone to step in and do the same for us if you were stupid enough to want to leave me, wouldn't you?"
She gave him her biggest eyes, and waited for his answer.
"I would have to be dying to leave you," he said in his most serious tone, never joking about leaving her.
She smiled softly, knowing her husband's devotion to her, and leaned over to kiss him on the mouth. She didn't pull back until she heard the back door open.
"Jesus, it's bad enough I have to go on this insanity plea, but do you two always have to be doing that?"
"Hey, Jess," Tristan shook his head as his old friend got into the backseat.
"Where are your bags?"
"My bags?"
"Your bags," she reiterated.
"Why would I need bags?"
"Will you two quit saying bags?" Tristan sighed.
"Jess, we're going to Martha's Vineyard for two days. You need stuff," she chose a different word to keep the vein on Tristan's forehead in its rightful place.
"Martha's Vineyard for two days? I don't think so," he said, grabbing for the door handle. Rory moved quicker and hit the child-safety lock.
"Look, Jess, I don't know how Mom roped you into this, but she and Luke just thought that what ever was going on with you two could be helped with some time away, just the four of us, and if you want, just the two of you. We can do our own things once we're up there. We're just the vehicle here."
Tristan didn't look at Jess; he kept his eyes glued to his wife. Jess stared Rory down as well, trying to decide how much he liked being child-locked into the car and if he was willing to do this at all.
"Erin and I both need to do our own things. Maybe you guys should take her, and I'll just go down to the city for a few days," he tried.
"Jess, come on. This is your marriage. Don't you care at all?" she asked, exasperated.
"Me, not care? God, all I've been trying to do is keep my marriage together, Rory! I've been trying to make her see that we have to work through this, we have to get some help—we have kids and lives, and she's just going to throw all that away like it means nothing for some job in California. California. You know how I feel about California."
"Jess," Rory softened her tone and her expression changed to one of empathy as she continued to look into his eyes, "I know what California is to you. She does too, I'm sure; she's just too weighed down with whatever this is. If you really care, do this last thing. Don't give up, not yet."
He looked at her for a moment more, then slumped back against the backseat.
"I'll pack at the Inn, all my stuff is there anyhow."
"Thatta boy," she smiled, turning rightly in her seat as Tristan put the car into drive.
Over at the Melville household, the usual bustle of activity was in progress. With four kids and usually some of their friends thrown into the mix, Sookie and Jackson had become masters of finding peace amidst insanity. Sookie had just finished serving up a huge breakfast to the rare few members of her family that had spent the night there; herself, Jackson, Billy and Lia. Anna had spent the night at Davey's, and she was still worried about her daughter. She had finally eaten and her mood didn't seem quite so toxic by the end of the evening, but she was still worried.
"Hey, great breakfast, Sook," Jackson's lips pressed into the top of Sookie's head as he walked behind her chair.
"Thanks, hun," she nodded absently.
"You okay?"
"Anna."
"Oh, she called. She said to save some pancakes for her, she'll be over soon."
"Really?"
"Something about Davey's shower. Maybe I should call Luke to go look at it," he shook his head. Handiwork had never been Jackson's forte—if it didn't grow in the ground, he didn't care for it.
"Honey, Will lives there."
"Right. He must know something about pipes," he nodded.
"I'm glad she's coming home, even if it's just to shower."
"Is she okay? Did she say anything?"
"I'm sure she's fine," Sookie put her hand over Jackson's to reassure him. She was partially lying, but Jackson wouldn't do well knowing his little girl was in pain. He'd never been good about his kids in pain, especially Anna and Lia.
"When are you going to rush over there?" came Lia's voice, raising over her parents conversation.
"Shut up!" Billy warned his younger sister.
"After all, her parents are going away for the weekend, so no one can stop you from heading over there and leering at her all you want," she giggled as she bit into a muffin.
"Lia," Billy warned.
"Lia, stop teasing your brother," Jackson added for good measure.
"Daddy, Billy's in love with Ella," Lia reported.
"Is that right?" Jackson raised an eyebrow to his son.
"Oh, sure. Listen to her, she's nuts, Dad. I don't like anyone."
"She said love, not like," Sookie interjected.
Lia smiled and Billy shot her a dangerous look. The teasing stopped as the front door opened and closed. Anna walked into the kitchen of her parents' house and looked at her family seated around the table.
"Am I interrupting?" she asked, noticing all conversation had halted.
Not wanting her sister to feel strange, Lia filled her in. "Billy's in love with Ella," she said in an explanatory tone.
"I am NOT!" Billy half yelled, getting up from the table and heading towards his room.
Anna smiled, glad to see home life never really did change and sat down in his seat. "Are those pancakes still around, Dad?"
Jackson smiled at her and his wife as she handed over the plate loaded down with Sookie's apple pancakes.
As Will emerged from his room, now showered and completely ready for the day, he found the house seemingly empty. Anna had gone, where he wasn't sure, and Davey was in the shower himself. He'd been trying to shake the feeling he'd gotten last night on the couch with Anna—actually the feeling he'd gotten since their walk yesterday. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. This was normal, he reasoned to himself, due to what she had told him and the fact that she was there for him about the whole Bree thing. They were friends and it was normal not to be able to get friends' problems out of your head. At least, he hoped so.
"There you are," Davey said, a towel wrapped around his waist as he emerged from the steamy bathroom.
"Yep, you found me."
"What are you doing?"
"Standing here."
"I meant today, in general," Davey rolled his eyes at his sometimes too literal friend.
"Thought about going over to Mom and Dad's. Why?"
Davey shrugged. "Thought you might want to head over to the gym and play some one-on-one."
"We could do that. Mom and Dad's will still be there later."
"Great. Just let me get changed, okay?"
"Fine."
The two boys got ready and headed over to the high school gym. Once there, they began to play basketball, in relative silence. Will threw the ball in-bounds to Davey who then threw it back and they headed down the half-court.
"So, Anna headed over to my folks house after you left this morning," Davey began.
"Uh-huh," Will said, moving around his friend to try to make a shot.
Davey's hand went up to block the ball. "You two are pretty chatty lately," he added.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Will stole the ball back from Davey and made a lay-up. He caught the ball and threw it to Davey.
"Come on, man. Is there something I should know?"
Will stopped on the court. "Are we here to talk or play?"
"Talk."
"Then why are we playing?"
"We're guys. We don't just go sip tea and talk."
Will rolled his eyes and moved to block the open shot Davey was trying to make.
"There's nothing I can tell you. If Anna wants to tell you what happened, she will. It's up to her, not me."
"So, something is going on with you two?"
Will stopped again in his tracks. "What? No," he protested.
"You aren't into my sister?"
"Dave!"
"It's an honest question! You two are spending a lot of time alone, and she's been looking at you like," he stopped in mid-sentence.
"Like what?" Will bent half over, resting his hands on his knees, while raising his head up to look at his friend. "Like what?" he repeated.
"Like you're more than a comforting friend."
"You're nuts."
"That's what she said."
"Wait, you talked to her about this? Is that why she's acting so weird?"
"HAH! So, you admit it!"
"Dave, nothing is going on. Anna isn't into me."
"But you're into her?"
Will said nothing, just threw the ball back at his friend.
"Play."
"Will."
"Dave, I'm not having this conversation with you."
"Will."
"Dave, you know what I'm going through with Bree. I don't need all that again."
Davey nodded and decided not to push the conversation anymore. He got the feeling from both of them that there was possibility here; but both seemed too wrapped up in their own problems to realize it. He moved down the court with Will, ceasing all talk of his sister for now.