Vacation

Chapter 6

Beth Monroe flying through the door and pulling her daughter into her arms and trying to crush her in one of her famous bear hugs intercepted reaching the porch Lindsay and Stella.

"Oh baby girl, we missed you so much these past 3 months." She said pulling back to get a good look at her daughter. "So when Mac Taylor called and said that the police chief had scheduled for your team to go on holiday, and he asked if it was alright if you all could come here, your father and I immediately said yes. Any chance to see you and that man of yours again." Beth rambled on informing them.

"I missed you too Mama. Where is Daddy? I haven't seen him yet, and I really do fear for the boys. You know how Daddy gets." Lindsay asked her Mother with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I think he's still in the lounge watching the game and they are all in there with him and Jack." Beth replied.

"Oh no he isn't. He actually kept that name. It's a gun for chuffs sake. You know what i'm not even going to get into this argument. So me and Stella are going to rescue the boys." Lindsay called as she made her way through the porch door and into the hallway leading to the lounge.

"Okay darling tell the boys that dinner will be ready in 15 minutes." Beth answered as she parted ways with them and made her way back into her pristine kitchen.

As they made their way down the hall they could here the match commentator blaring from the TV. "Come on Stel, I don't think it's wise to leave the boys in a room with my father when the games, because that's when he's taken a liking to cleaning his gun during that time." Lindsay clarified as they made their way through the door and into the main living area of the house.

Rounding the corner the scène before them sent the women into eye watering stitches of laughter as they tried in vain to contain their laughter.

Mac, Hawkes and Don were all seated on the couch but had managed to squash into one corner trying to get as far away as possible from the burly man and his gun. The first known as Jackson Monroe and the latter called Jack. As Jackson started the wave around the barrel as the 49ers received a crap called by the referee, the men started to try and shift their bodies even further into the corner of the couch.

Whilst Mac, Hawkes and Don were becoming increasingly paranoid each time Jackson waved the gun barrel they shifted so they were even more uncomfortable on the spacious couch opposite Jackson Monroe, Danny sat next to Jackson with no hesitation and looked as if he had been sitting there all his life.

Sensing the arrival of Stella and Lindsay he turned to face them to find them cracking up at the displaying the other men in the room were putting on. To find 3 grown men who work with guns every day to a bunch of nervous wrecks, soon had Danny following the girls example.

Eventually once Danny, Lindsay and Stella had calmed down enough to regain the power of speech and managed to sit down without breaking anything, whilst trying hard not to crack up again each time they looked at each other.

"Hey Daddy." Lindsay said effectively drawing Jackson's attention off the football games and onto his daughter and in the process making him put down the gun pieces and turn towards his youngest child.

Getting up out of his chair Jackson walked across the room and pulled his daughter into a long hug.

Mrs. Monroe bellowed exuberantley"Dinner is ready" dropping his daughter Jack ran straight into the kitchen. "Yours is the one at the end of the table," she said happily to a blinded Mac who had only just had time to adjust to the glimmering from the kitchen before being ushered to his seat.

"Don't worry Mac your eyes will get used to the gleam" said Jackson with half a smile on his face. "So Lindsay how is the big bad world of crime fighting going. Have you had any more thought's about coming home?" said Beth pressingly.

"Well last week I got shot at and so did Stel' and then I had to go investigate a double homoside so nothing too interesting" said Lindsay to a now dazed Beth who apart from looking worried looked astonished that her little girl had done all this when the most Beth had done was skinned a rabbit in which they would be eating tonight.

"Don do you like your room? Is it clean enough if its not I can go around and make it better" said Beth who stared at Don as if to say that she was doing it anyway. " No no no its fine" said a worried Don who was rubbing his back from slipping on the laminated flooring that has been dusted in the bedroom.

"Right then all tuck in" said Jackson followed by a sharp "Ow woman stop fussing and let the kids have there food they must be hungry from all that flying and your not helping. No eat your own" as everybody stared at a now exacerbated Jackson as he returned back to his food and carried on eating.

Over dinner all Beth used as a conversation piece was about how Lindsay should move back home, become a real housewife. To which Lindsay kept mumbling to Danny "If I ever become like my mother promise me you will shoot me" all Danny did was place a half smirk on his face every time he was asked by any of the group who sat round the table inquiring about his and Lindsay's conversation was about.

"God Beth that was great" said an already full up Don. Danny said under his breath to both Mac and Lindsay which made them both with grin almost replica's of the one which appeared on his face "Watch the expression on his face when he finds out that that's only the start"

"No darling that was the first course there are plenty more"

The smile that had been beamed across his face had turned into a worrying look as all the group members looked at Danny and he remarked " Now you know my fear is not unfounded." and smirked as the group then turned away and looked at the little women who was now rushing round the table collecting dishes and cutlery.

"Well I don't think I can take much more feeding" said a stuffed Mac who was still following Beth around with his eyes "Well there's plenty of food and it needs to be eaten" said a scowling Beth who did not look amused by the groups reactions to the gut busting meal.

The conversation of Lindsay's new career had cropped up several times thanks to Beth who was bugging the team at every chance for information on. After the 4th course Mac, Stella, Hawkes and Flack who had been keeping surprisingly quiet throughout the meal. All had fail to eat Beth's cooking and had retreated to their own private conversation about the previous case they had before they left which Danny soon began follow which left the 1 remaining member of the group who was soon after Danny to throw in the napkin and joined the rest of the group in the conversation.

Jackson finished off the rest of the meal along with Beth and once they had finished they were all once more emerged in conversation as the men made there way into the lunge to watch the last quarter of the second half, whilst the women cleaned up the bombshell that had hit the kitchen in the form of dirty pans, plates and cutlery.