Tim lifted his head off his pillow slightly, hearing his cell phone ringing. He felt around for it on the night stand and flipped it open.
"Yeah." he answered huskily.
"Did you see the news?" an upset Calleigh asked.
"Why?" Tim was suddenly alert and awake. "Are you okay? No one died did they?"
"No."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Turn the damn TV on!"
"Alright jeez." Tim grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.
"During the night, New York City got hit with a snowstorm, burying the city under a foot and a half of snow." Al Roker was saying.
"That's not possible." Tim mumbled.
"As of now all flights are grounded at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark Airports."
Tim jumped off the bed and flung the curtains open. Down below the city was covered in snow, as if someone had put a white blanket down.
"Oh God..." he groaned.
"What are you going to do?" Calleigh asked and Tim jumped, forgetting he was on the phone with her. "You're stuck there."
"I'm sure everything will be up and running in a few hours." he said. "My flight isn't until noon."
Right then, another bout of snow began to fall. Tim banged his head against the window a couple of times and sat down on the bed.
"You're getting more snow up there. Tim... you were supposed to come home today."
"Oh I'm sorry Calleigh. Didn't you know I control the weather?" he asked sarcastically. "Honey... I don't even want to be here and you think I want to be stuck here even longer?"
"I suppose."
"I think you can do a little better then that." Tim said, leaning back against the headboard.
"I know you want to be here." Calleigh said. "I'm sorry baby. I'm just upset. I mean, who knows when you're going to be home now."
"I'll be home as quick as I can. I promise you Calleigh."
-----------S/C---------
"Sir, I'm sorry."
"Look, you have to have one flight going somewhere." Tim said exasperatedly.
"No." the attendant shook his head.
"Will you just look?"
"Sir, all of our flights are grounded until we get an OK to start flying again. It's not safe to fly right now. Another storm is coming in. Have a nice holiday."
"Look, I'm not gonna have a nice holiday if I don't get home!" Tim exclaimed. "Please, there has to be something!"
"Tim..." Nick went to grab his arm but he shook him off.
"Do you have kids?" he asked. The attendant nodded. "Then you know what I'm going through. I haven't seen my kids in a week. I haven't seen my wife in a week. I need to get home."
"Sir, I don't know what to tell you. Next."
-----------S/C---------
"Mommy?"
"Mmm?" Calleigh licked a bit of cookie dough off her finger and looked down at Ava.
"I thought Daddy was coming home."
"He was baby but he got stuck in New York."
"He doesn't want to be here does he?" Ava asked dully.
"Oh honey, no." Calleigh wiped her hands off and knelt down to match Ava's height. "Baby, he wants to be here. But he can't get home right now. You want to call him?"
Ava nodded and Calleigh dialed Tim's cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey baby it's me."
"Hey beautiful. My flight got canceled. I'm trying to get home."
"I know honey. Ava's a little upset and wanted to talk to you."
"Good cause I wanted to talk to her."
"Daddy, I want you home."
"I know Ava. I want to be home but I can't get home. Remember when we were at Nana's and it snowed a lot?"
"Yeah."
"Well that's what happened here and I'm stuck. I'll be home as soon as I can though. I promise."
"You promised you'd be home today and you're not!" Ava hung the phone up and Tim tossed his cell phone onto the bed, sighing deeply. It rang a few seconds later and he flipped it open.
"Yeah?"
"She's not very happy."
"I could tell. But it's not like I made it snow." Tim said. "I want to be there Calleigh. I do."
"I know. But you can't do anything about it. When's the next flight?"
"They said the airports could be open tomorrow, which I'm hoping and I'll be on the first flight home."
"And if not?"
"Then... whenever I can get home."
"Okay."
"Calleigh..."
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too Tim."
"Is T.J there?"
"Yeah hold on."
Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. All he wanted was to be home.
"Hey Dad."
"Hey sport. What's going on?"
"Not much. When are you coming home?"
"Soon."
"How soon is soon?"
Tim chuckled and sighed.
"I don't know T.J. Hopefully tomorrow."
"Are you going to be here for Christmas?"
"Yes. I will not miss it. I promise you I will find a way home."
"Why did you have to go to this stupid thing anyway?"
"Cause Horatio made me."
"He should've gone."
"That's what I said. Listen, I know Ava is upset so be nice to her and help your mom out till I get home."
"I am Dad."
"Good."
"Spongebob is on."
"Okay. I love you buddy."
"Yeah..." T.J mumbled and Tim waited as Calleigh came back on the phone.
"You got this house in quite an uproar Yankee." she drawled. Tim laughed quietly. "I have to go There's yelling coming from the living room."
"Nice to know our family cares about each other." Tim said sarcastically. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll talk to you later." Calleigh hung up and walked into the living room. "What is going on?"
"He/she started it." the kids said, pointing fingers at each other.
"Buster, if you touch that cage," Calleigh began, grabbing the Golden Retriever by the collar. He let out a mournful howl and put his head on his paws.
"OW!" T.J yelped. "What was that for Ava?"
"I was watching TV!" she exclaimed.
"Doesn't mean you have to kick me!" T.J rubbed his leg and Calleigh put her hands on her hips.
"Ava!"
She looked up at Calleigh and her eyes filled up with tears as she saw the stern look on her mother's face.
"Apologize to your brother."
Ava stayed quiet and Nicky pulled her hair.
"OW!"
"Mommy said!" Nicky squealed. Ava pushed her little brother away from her and grabbed the remote out of T.J's hands.
"Stop!" T.J yanked it back and a war started over the remote. "We're watching Spongebob!"
"No! We're watching Totally Spies!"
"BARNEY!" Nicky yelled, joining in with the fighting.
"Barney is for babies!" Ava snapped. Nicky blew a raspberry at her.
"We're watching Spongebob because I'm the oldest!" T.J said.
"Well... I'M DADDY'S FAVORITE AND I SAID WE'RE WATCHING TOTALLY SPIES!" Ava screamed.
"HEY!" Calleigh yelled over the noise. "All of you be quiet."
The three Speedle kids went silent, knowing their mother was not a force to be reckoned with.
"Timothy, your sister was watching TV first. You had no right to come in and take the remote from her. You know the rules about watching TV. Nicholas, I don't ever want to see you stick your tongue at your sister. Ava, we don't have favorites in this house. None of you are watching TV."
"But!" protests began flying from the kids' mouths.
"No buts!" Calleigh yelled. "If your father saw the way you three are acting he would not be happy."
"Well Daddy's not here!" Ava huffed.
"So that means no rules apply anymore?" Calleigh asked. "I want you all to go to your rooms."
She walked over and picked Nicky up and looked at her older children.
"Now. Come on. With the way you three have been acting the past few days I'll be surprised if Santa brings you anything for Christmas."
"Ava deserves a lump of coal." T.J muttered, kicking a truck out of his way.
"Nuhuh."
"Yuhuh. You're a big baby."
"No. You are."
"Upstairs, now!" Calleigh exclaimed. "And don't make me tell you again."
T.J and Ava scampered upstairs, yelling at each other and Nicky looked up at Calleigh.
"Momma, I sorry." he said. Calleigh sighed and set him down in the 'pen,' an area where Tim had cleverly put a few baby gates up, blocking Nicky in from escaping.
"WHY DOESN'T NICKY HAVE TO GO TO HIS ROOM?" Ava and T.J yelled downstairs. Calleigh sighed and turned the TV off.
"Momma!" Nicky screeched.
"No TV Nicky. You were bad too."
Nicky's chocolate eyes filled up with tears but pushed them away. He now looked like a mini-Tim when he was pissed off at something. Calleigh ignored him and marched into the kitchen. Then she cursed, seeing her cookies were burnt.