"What do you mean 'banned'?" Mindy probed incredulously.

"I'm pretty sure you know what 'banned' means, Mindy," Peter joked as he handed the folder back to her, which she snatched from him.

"So, you're telling me that you're banned from the entirety of Key West? All of it."

"Mmm hmm." He appeared to be brimming with pride by the fact. "Big time."

"Okaaaay, how is that even possible?"

Peter rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, no, Mindy, I can't. The story is epic…literally, it is an epic. It starts in medias res, there are tragic heroes, a muse, a theoretical decent into hell…there's no way I'm going to sully this story by truncating it to fit your crappy attention span."

Feeling irritated, she chose to walk away – not before hitting Peter over the head with the folder – and headed to Jeremy's office. She had tried all morning to give the trip away, only to be met with excuse after excuse as to why each person could not take it, each excuse more interesting and colorful than the one before. How was it this hard to give away a free trip to Florida, especially to one of the biggest party cities in the world? This should have been a cake walk, as far as she was concerned.

She made it to Jeremy's office and gave the door a light knock. She heard his muffled acknowledgment and let herself in.

"Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy," she began airily. "Do I have an awesome surprise for you!"

He barely looked up from his paperwork as he grunted his encouragement for her to continue.

"In this folder," she held up and used her free hand to gesture gallantly, as if it were part of a game show showcase, "is a fun-filled, paid-for 7-day trip for two to Key West, courtesy of me! It comes with a stay at a gorgeous bed and breakfast, there are a bunch of activities, and a very detailed itinerary. I know, I know, it's pretty effin' perfect right?"

Jeremy looked up from his work in order to gage whether or not Mindy was serious. When she remained there, holding the folder open with a plastic-like smile plastered on her face, he adopted a look of dawning comprehension, then pitying concern.

"Oh, Mindy," he sighed as he stood up and made his way to the front of his desk. He leaned against it and clasped his hands together in front of him. "I know this incident with Elliot must be so tough to face alone and I can understand why falling back on…old comforts," at that, he raised his eyebrows carefully in hopes that she understood his meaning, "might appear to be a good way to get through the loneliness. However, I assure you, it would be a bad idea for us to rekindle any sort of –"

Horrified by the implication, Mindy jumped in and exclaimed. "Eew! Screw you, guy, that is not what I meant! God, Jeremy, what is wrong with you?"

"Mindy, it sounded like you were inviting me –"

"-inviting you to take this trip off of my hands? Yeah, that's definitely what I was doing!" she rushed to correct. "I want you to have this trip to enjoy with one of your weird skanks with misplaced father issues."

Jeremy grimaced at Mindy's crudeness, but decided not to bother addressing it. He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I'll pass."

"You'll pass?!" Mindy groaned. "What is going on with everyone?! Jeremy, who are you to pass on a dream vacation in Florida?!"

He shrugged, unbothered. "Florida's crime is a bit too mad cap for me. Plus, my skin would never sustain the harsh Florida sun. I'd roast like a Christmas chicken."

Mindy found the nearest chair and flopped in it, slumping forward until she was propping her head up with her hands. "Why is this so impossible? I just feel like getting rid of this is the last step in finally getting some closure on this whole thing. I don't want to suddenly feel guilty about this trip going to waste, like my relationship."

"And Elliot can't help you out because…"

"…because he made it very clear last night that he needs his space from me and that this is now my problem."

Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, Mindy, why don't you go on the trip?"

Mindy looked up at him in bewilderment, as if he had grown a second head. How is this fool a doctor, she asked internally. "Jeremy, do you honestly think I'm about to go on my honeymoon?"

"Well, I think in order for it to be a honeymoon, one would have to have a newlywed to enjoy it with," Jeremy said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "And since you don't have anything of the sort, this could just be a regular vacation for you. You already have your patients covered –"

"The notion is mortifying!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes and groaned. "Mindy, it doesn't have to be mortifying! Look, don't think of it as a honeymoon. Think of it as a journey for self-exploration, like a celebration of your freedom from that handsome, yet off-putting man and a way to find Mindy again. You could use the time off, honestly."

Mindy didn't know whether to be comforted or offended by the assertion, so she just glared at Jeremy curiously. "What do you mean I could 'use the time off'? I was just out of the office two days ago."

"And did you use that day to mend and reflect or did you wallow in self pity and eat an obscene amount of ice cream?" Jeremy asked with a knowing smirk.

Mindy mumbled "The amount wasn't obscene," then slumped back into the chair.

"I just think this would be a good opportunity to celebrate your newfound single status and rediscover exactly what makes you great. Or, you can take a friend with you and use the trip as an excuse to day drink. Either way, your patients will be taken care of and you would benefit from some time away. Just think about it and let me know what you decide, okay?"

Mindy nodded absent-mindedly while mulling over everything Jeremy had said. "Thanks, Jeremy. I'll think it over." They both stood up, Jeremy resuming his position behind the desk and Mindy heading out the door. She clutched the folder to her chest as she made her way to her office. This was a lot to think about.

The rest of the day dragged on with a slow stream of patients and generic office happenings. As the day neared its close, Danny came to Mindy's office door. He opened it partially and peaked his head in to find Mindy typing rapidly on her computer.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for your help on that consultation earlier," he said, causing her to look up with a weary smile.

"Of course, Danny," she replied kindly. "You so rarely ask for help, I had to see the case that stumped you for myself."

"Ha ha, very funny," Danny countered derisively. He was about to tease her back when he noticed the familiar folder sitting at the edge of her desk. He entered the office and closed the door behind him. "No luck getting rid of the trip?"

Mindy huffed, then turned to him fully. "None. Can you believe it? Just last month, Morgan was ready to fight me – actually fight me, like, bare knuckles an all – for my leftover pizza crust that I was about to toss out. I tried giving him a trip to Florida and he passed it up because he has 'a good lead on some incoming lobsters,' which I pray to God is a euphemism of some sort."

Danny snorted as he took a seat in the nearest chair. "So what's the plan, then? What's gonna happen with the trip?"

Mindy sighed and leaned back into her chair. She began toying idly with one of her pens. "Well, Jeremy is under the impression that I could use a vacation. He thinks I should still go." The way she spoke gave Danny the impression that she no longer found the idea preposterous. She looked over at him guardedly. "Do you think that's silly?"

Danny shook his head. "Nah, I don't think it is. You should go! It'll give you time to reset, enjoy this new phase of your life, get a change of scenery for a little while…it could be great. Maybe one of your friends could go with you, be your partner in crime while you're there."

Mindy twisted her mouth to the side as she thought about the possibilities. "And it's not weird that this was supposed to be my honeymoon?"

"Well…yeah, it's a little weird," Danny admitted with a laugh. "But you do weird stuff all the time, so who cares? Nobody else has to know that it was your honeymoon and, hopefully, you'll be having such a good time that you'll totally forget. That would be the idea, right?"

He could see Mindy really thinking about it now. Danny guessed that she was imagining herself on a beach, drinking a cocktail out of a hallowed out pineapple with a tiny umbrella clinging to the edge while she wore a comically floppy hat. Whatever the imaged was, it appeared to help her warm up to the idea. She eyed the infamous folder. "I should just do it, right?"

Danny gave her a little grin. "I think it would be good for you."

"Yeah. I've never been to Key West."

"See? A new experience! That's good, right?"

"I should go!" Mindy perked up suddenly, sitting upright in her chair. "It would be fun, especially if I had a really good friend with me!"

"That's the spirit, Mindy. Now you're getting the right idea."

"So you'll come, then?"

Danny was momentarily stunned by this conclusion, which seemed to have materialized almost out of thin air. "Uhhh," he stalled. "I'm sorry, how did we arrive to that assumption?"

Mindy threw up her hands helplessly, as if she couldn't understand the confusion. "Hey, you were the on that said I should bring a good friend!"

"Yeah, but I meant like Gwen or Alex, or that other one!"

"Gwen would never leave Carl and Riley for a week, Alex would ditch me at every turn for hot man ass, and Maggie is an alarmingly angry drunk," Mindy argued, ticking off every point with her fingers.

Danny blew out a nervous breath. "Okay, well maybe you can go by yourself! You can go on one of those self-discovery adventures, kind of like – uh, what's it called? – Eat, Be Nice, Go to Church, or whatever."

Mindy narrowed her eyes questioningly. "Okay, I'm guessing that you're referring to Eat, Pray, Love and if you are, shame on you, as I've talked to you about it, like, a hundred times. And furthermore, why do all the men in this office assume that I need to go on some convoluted trip to discover myself?" she asked indignantly. "I know who the hell I am, I don't need to discover myself. I just want to get out of the city and drink a lot! And I'd like you there with me!"

He blew another heavy breath. The idea of him accompanying her on a trip for an entire week seemed like a bad one. His hesitancy was hard for him to place, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something like this, a non-business trip, just wouldn't work. You learn so much more about a person when you travel with them, and most of the time that leads to drama. Plus, it was now Wednesday and the trip was set for the following Monday. That was barely enough time to prepare.

"You can go pretty easily; you've already taken care of the necessary prep," he said, his tone coming across as apologetic for reasons unbeknownst to him. "I have patients to see, people who depend on me to be here."

"Oh, come on, Danny," Mindy exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "Please don't give me that. You know you can reschedule your appointments and Peter would not mind covering for you, I'm sure of it. It's only a week! Besides, when was the last time you took even a day off? You're long overdue for some time away."

"Even still," Danny pressed as he stood from his seat, "I can't this time, Mindy. I'm really sorry."

Mindy's face crumpled into an expression of annoyance, which was an expression Danny hated. "Yeah, yeah, Castellano, whatever."

With a deep sigh, Danny made his way to the door. He turned around and asked hopefully, "Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?"

Mindy kept her bothered expression when she answered, "Yes, but as a consequence of disappointing me, you're paying."

Danny emitted a short chuckled and nodded his head. "Okay, deal."

Now, sitting on the bed and staring at the muted television, he felt a little bad.

Even if he did feel like going on a trip with Mindy were a bad idea, maybe he shouldn't have been so emphatically against it. Maybe he should have taken a little more time to think about it? His rejection probably came across as him simply not wanting to go, which was far from the case. It really was just about timing and not wanting to cause her any more stress than she'd already been through up to that point…he was pretty sure, anyway.

In all honestly, he was flattered that she felt that their friendship had reached a place where he would even be considered as a serious travel companion. They had strayed so far from their original antagonizing relationship, and that fact made him happier than she could ever comprehend. Danny never told Mindy how much he attributed his improving attitude and the ebb of his daily stress to his friendship with her, mainly because he never figured out a suitable way to bring the topic up. There weren't many opportunities within their day-to-day interactions that would allow for such a heavy admission as 'your friendship means a lot to me.' It did, though, and he would do just about anything for her as repayment for the happiness she's introduced to him.

Accept go with her on an amazing trip, apparently, he chastised internally. He suddenly wanted to punch himself. He knew his excuses had been fairly weak, and so did she. Getting someone to cover him for a week would have been doable. While it was short notice, there was time to sort matters out before he left. Sure, drama – fights and uncomfortable drunk moments and all that - was a possibility, but so were a lot of things, like fun and relaxation and bonding. In fact, during the prior week, after he had slept in the on-call room at the hospital for the third night in a row, he had complained more than once about his need of a vacation. Now it was handed to him on a silver platter and he was running from it because he was afraid of fighting with her while they were away? Danny couldn't think of a time when he'd felt more foolish.

Plus…he'd miss her. She'd be gone for a whole week and he'd miss her terribly, especially if he stayed behind with the knowledge that he had the opportunity to go with her. The time that they spent together was pretty scarce whenever she was in a serious relationship, and a long trip like this would more than make up for all of that lost time. He doesn't understand why or how this should logically play any part in his decision, but it does.

He needed a vacation. And she needed him. They were reasons that he should have arrived to hours ago.

Chancing the possibility that she was still awake, Danny quickly grabbed his phone and called Mindy. Always one to be near her phone, she answered quickly.

"Danny?" she called out. "You're not asleep?"

"I was about to go to sleep, but I was thinking," Danny began tentatively. "This Key West trip…going by yourself would be pretty dangerous, come to think of it."

There was a pause before Mindy replied, "It would be, you're right." Her voice sounded hopeful, which encouraged him to continue.

"And if you don't feel like any of your other friends would be up to the task, then technically it would be my duty to make sure you're safe."

He could hear Mindy holding back a giggle, which coaxed an upward tug of the right corner of his mouth. "Technically, Danny."

"Okay," he replied while nodding to himself. "So it's settled. I'm going…for your own good."

This time Mindy didn't bother to hold back her laughter. He could tell that her giddiness stemmed from her happiness with his decision to go and not her laughing at him. Either way, it was nice to hear her laugh.

"Oh, Danny," she said breathlessly. "My hero."

A/N: Hey, friends!

Thank you so much for reading! I took on a lofty goal of having this completed by the April 1st premiere. I'm not realizing that this is simply not going to happen, but I still want to update as soon and as often as I can. I hope everyone is like the story so far.

This chapter is actually a combination of two outlined chapters. I just thought that there wasn't enough in either proposed topic to carry a chapter of their own, so I've combined them. I'm optimistic that there are still more than enough chapters available to properly flesh out the story.

Please leave a review, if you can! I'd love to hear from you and I appreciate the feedback so, so much.

Alright, kids, you have a great morning (!) and Hollaatchyagirl,

Phunky