HOMEWARD BOUND:

"Ladies and gentlemen…..we're about 30 minutes out from Heathrow." the captains voice came over the speakers. "We might have a bit of a holding pattern, as there is rain coming down. So please, sit back and relax and we'll get you on the ground as soon as we've been cleared to land. In the meantime, for those of you with connecting flights, please look at the terminal map found in the magazine located in the pouch in the seat in front of you. We'd also like to take this time to thank you for flying with us, and we hope to serve you in the future. Happy Holidays."

Home. It had been a busy yet long semester. Both girls were desperate to get home to family and friends. While they loved their time in America, they both agreed, there's no place like home. Football served as a distraction for them…..however after that crushing loss in the semifinals for the national championship, there was only one thing they could think of. Home. It was all they could think about.

The girls didn't say much to each other during after hearing the captain's words. Each was lost in their thoughts, however they both thought of the men in their lives. Jules was thinking of Stephen. He was a sophomore on the men's team at Santa Clara. They had met at a party thrown for both the men's and women's teams. Since that night, they'd been virtually inseperable. Jules loved being able to combine her love of sport with a man, who chose not to treat her simply as "one of the guys" as had happened in the past. She thought to herself, how everything had worked out for the best in the guy department. She knew that her mom and her FINALLY had something to talk about. Jules laughed inwardly…..this will be an odd conversation. "I've never had a conversation about men with my mom without rolling my eyes." she thought to herself.

Jess' thoughts were equally as focused. Joe. She wondered how he had managed to get her father to agree to letting her go to Ireland in just a few days. Joe in typical male fashion, kept that secret to himself. She had a couple of days with her family before leaving…..so maybe she could find out that secret from one of them. She was nervous about meeting his family. He had a large immediate family…..two sisters and two brothers, all of them younger than Joe. Although, she was used to large, boisterous family functions. But then those family functions were always with other Indians.

The girls were jostled from their solitude by the wheels of the plane finally touching English soil. They each let out a collective sigh of relief. It was Jules who broke the silence. "Welcome home Jess."

"Thank goodness." agreed Jess. "We're finally here. I never thought this day would come. I don't know about you, but ever since our last game, school just dragged on. At least our final exams seemed to fly by quickly."

"No kidding." laughed Jules. "I can't tell you how good it felt to finally cross the 19th off of the calendar, and walk up to that ticket counter at the airport."

"Any idea who's picking you up?" asked Jess.

"I think my mom." replied Jules. "She told me that Dad was working late tonight, and that I wouldn't see him until about 9pm. What about you?"

"Being that it's the holidays, my dad has been pulling overtime at the airport. I know they won't let him leave his post here at Heathrow. Mom's not too big on driving, especially in the airport area. Joe said he couldn't get away, so my guess is that I'll see either Tony or Pinky."

Jules smiled. She knew exactly who was coming to pick her up. Joe had e-mailed her to tell Jules his plan to surprise Jess. Jules couldn't wait to see her friend's expression on her face.

The girls bounded from their seats the minute they pulled up to their gate. They ran to immigration, and being that they were in fantastic shape, they weren't out of breath. They breezed through customs, unlike that day back in August. When they got to baggage claim, they didn't see their rides right away, so Jules pulled them over to the carousel to try and find their bags.

All of the sudden, Jess couldn't see. Whispered in her ear was a "Guess who." It was a voice she knew by heart.

"JOE!" exclaimed Jess. "W-what are you doing here? You said you couldn't make it."

"And you believed that?" asked Joe. "Nothing could keep me from you."

Joe pulled her into his arms and just held her. Held her as if there was no tomorrow. Jess held him as tightly, and cried. She was home. "Shhh…..don't cry love. You're home now." Jess looked into Joe's eyes, and was lost. It was at that moment that Joe kissed her, and spun her around. They were somehow broken from their seclusion, by a squealing Jules.

"MOM!" Jules was hugging her mom. She too was so thankful to be home. Jess looked at her friend's homecoming with her mom with a smile on her face…..although a smile with tears still streaming down her face. Joe was holding her at her hip, and kissing her temple.

"Joe." said a quiet Jess. "There's my suitcase. Can we get it so I can go home?"

"No problem. I'd like to get you out of here myself." Joe said with a wink.

Joe, the gentleman that he was hauled both of their suitcases off of the carousel. They walked to their cars, and Jess gave her friend a hug, and told Jules that she would call her in the morning after she'd gotten some sleep. Jules laughed because she knew as much as Jess did, that it wouldn't be morning when she called.

When Jess got into Joe's car, she felt suddenly alive yet tired at the same time. When he sat in the drivers' seat, they just sat there looking at each other for a couple of minutes, neither of them saying a word. They didn't need words.

"Joe," whispered Jess. "Take me home."

"My pleasure." Joe said as he took her hand.

The drive went fast. As they pulled up to her parents' house she saw all the cars.

"What's up?" asked a confused Jess.

"I think it would be a party for you." teased Joe. "I love you Jess…..welcome home."

And with that, the two walked into the house……to the jubilant exclamations of the family and friends gathered inside.