It was early morning, the sun had only been up for a half an hour and most of the usual inhabitants were slowly waking up to another day of either fishing or opening shop somewhere. They all knew that the tourists would be up sooner or later, they just had to get up themselves to make the day great for those tourists.

Mick was not one of those people; he was up but not to keep anyone entertained or to go to work. He should have been sleeping after playing for the reception until at least midnight last night, but he only got three hours tops. He got home about an hour after playing and fell asleep for twenty minutes before the telephone rang. It was Jenna and she was crying. He had no idea how long he was on the phone with her, all he knew was that Homer had upset her greatly and that he had kept a secret from her for all the years they were together. He stayed on the line with her, letting her talk; comforting her over someone she had loved for so long and had called her a name that was only fit for a tire in the trunk. It didn't seem right at all, and he knew that all he could do was comfort her and hope for the best.

It was after four when the conversation ended, Jenna was exhausted and so was Mick. Mick told her to just take it easy for a few days and calm down over what happened. He went to bed immediately after he hung up, but he did not sleep much. All he could think about was Homer and how he loved Jenna so, yet apparently it was a fake love and one that angered him greatly. Finally at around seven fifteen, Mick got up, put on a clean pair of clothes and drove down to Moe's house. He did not care if everyone was still sleeping, he needed to get this over with and confront Homer. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he just had to get it out of his system, he had to talk to Homer about what he did.

He reached Moe's driveway and sat there for a moment, contemplating about what to say. He rubbed the early morning stubble on his chin as he thought, wondering how to handle this. Wondering if he should be kind to the bastard or go at him like a hungry lion. He had known Homer since he had been here, the young man always had an interesting zest for life and was very sensitive, kindness would help, but it probably would not get through to him much. No he had to be tough, after all, he did upset his sister and he hated it when his sister was upset. Granted this split up was not as bad as the last one, he nearly broke the other guy's neck for what he did, this time he just wanted to yell at Homer, to tell him how stupid he was for keeping his mind in the past, how it has ruined his chances of ever being with Jenna again. He had to let go, he had to move on, he needed a heavy talking to.

Mick finally got out of the car, made his way to the front door, and knocked loudly so that if someone was still sleeping they would hear it. He didn't have to worry though; it wasn't long before Moe opened the door a little surprised to see his entertainer up at such an early hour.

"Where is he?" Mick asked in a serious voice.

"Who?" Moe asked while wiping the goo on his hands onto his shirt, apparently he was making breakfast.

"You should know who, he had to have been up all night crying," Mick said with a glare.

"Oh you mean Homah? Yeah he's out in the screen room, drank about eight bottles of duff before finally crashing," Moe replied as he let Mick through. Apparently he knew what had gone on, but it didn't seem to bother him. This kind of stuff happened all the time at the bar, so he was used to lost loves.

Mick stomped past him and made a beeline for the back door and into the screen room. It wasn't long before he entered and found Homer sound asleep on his favorite chair against the wall, beer bottles strewn around him and Hemmingway the cat asleep on his lap. Barney was nearby, also asleep with beer bottles lying everywhere. Apparently the best way to get a woman out of their mind was to get wasted.

Mick grumbled under his breath and grabbed an empty beer bottle. There was a trash can by the door so he picked it up and brought it right next to Homer before throwing the bottle to the bottom of the trashcan as hard as he could. Hemmingway was the first to react; he let out a startled meow before digging his claws into Homer's pant leg before jumping down and running back inside. Homer let out a gasp as Hemmingway did so and stood up in shock to find Mick glaring back at him. Once Homer had Mick's undivided attention, he threw the trash can backwards just inches from Barney's head, yet the man still continued to sleep through it all.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mick asked angrily, more so than he thought he would.

"It's called drinking your cares away, you ever heard of it?" Homer asked as he rubbed his sore leg where Hemmingway had dug his claws.

"Of course I have, I did it for a few days in Paris, never want to do that again. But that's not what I'm talking about," Mick replied, in a thoughtful way before remembering why he was really there.

Homer started rubbing his head as Mick began to talk, his late night binge drinking was finally catching up to him. He could sleep the rest of the day if he could, though now it seemed like Mick was keeping him from that. "Can you make it quick, I think the hangover's starting to kick in."

"Well you probably wouldn't have it if you kept your damn mouth shut last night," Mick replied. "You know how upset Jenna is right now; she called me at one a.m. telling me what you told an old friend of yours about her."

"Hey I told her I was sorry and I was willing to make it up to her, she was the one who wanted it to end, not me," Homer replied still rubbing his head.

"With good reason too! You can't just say things like that and expect the relationship to last. You hurt her feelings, and you know how women are, they are so wrapped up in emotion that it takes time for them to get over what went wrong," Mick replied as he walked back and forth in front of Homer. So much commotion had gone on that Moe was now standing by the doorway watching the scene unfold.

"Does she still want me back at all?" Homer asked.

Mick let out a sigh, obviously Homer was thinking more about Jenna than what he actually said to her. But that was probably what to expect out of someone who had at least eight beers before falling asleep in the screen room with a cat.

"At the moment, no. She needs some time to herself right now, but she also thinks she needs to move forward and she realized while talking to me last night that you were holding her back from her goals," Mick said.

"But she told me she was saving money with her job at the hotel," Homer replied.

"She finally had enough money about a year ago, she pointed that out to you, but you kept blowing her off and saying we're having a great time here. Do you really expect to work for Moe the rest of your life? No offense there Moe," Mick replied.

"None taken, but hey I guess the pay is good," Moe replied as he walked into the room and took a seat next to a still sleeping Barney.

"Well yeah, like Moe said, the pay is good and I have a good life here. I'm happier here, life is good and peaceful and fun," Homer replied.

"But Jenna does not work at a good job like you, she wants to make something of herself, and she didn't want to do it without you because she would have to go far to do it. You supported her, you were the man she always wanted, you were perfect for her. But then you screw it all up all because of a woman you barely even dated. What the hell is that? Were you actually thinking she would leave the man she married for you?"

"Well before they married sure. But you don't understand Mick, Marge is beautiful, smart, really sweet when she wants to be, and artistic, wow you would not believe some of the pictures she has done. Not only that but her hair reminds me of the ocean out here and…oh God Mick if only you would understand," Homer replied as he rubbed his eyes with his hands trying to make sense of it all for them.

"But did she ever love you?" Mick asked.

Homer opened his mouth, ready to say something, but that question stopped him. For the first time in his life, he realized that he was waiting for someone who never admitted to loving him back. She said she cared about him, but not in a loving way, just in a way that was enough to make them friends. He suddenly felt even worse than last night, he realized the mistake he made and how he had lost someone amazing just like that. What a stupid idiot he was!

"Free will's a bitch ain't it?" Moe replied.

"See Homer, you kept thinking about a girl who you cared for but she never did. And what were you gonna do if she did end up single again; just dump Jenna without a second thought? Because if that happened, I would totally kick your ass," Mick replied.

"I'm surprised you haven't done it now," Homer said.

"Nah, you haven't done something too regrettable, Jenna says she still loves you but sometimes separation helps strengthen a bond between two people. Maybe it will be a few weeks, maybe it will be a few months, who knows, all I know is, she was thinking about starting a summer class to get ready and be prepared for what lies ahead."

Homer let out a sigh, he really wasn't thinking about his future. His mind kept staying in the present and what he left behind. There was no way to turn back time, or to fix what happened the night before or any nights since then. He had to stay focused and think about what was really right for him. Sure working for Moe was a blast, but would he still be working there in five years or when he was old and gray? Would he find someone he really and truly cherished and wanted to be with the rest of his life like Jenna had been? And once that happened, would he be able to provide for her if they decided to start a family? These questions were very new to him now, he never actually thought about extending his loins, probably because he was raised by such a lousy father, and he didn't want to get stuck in that mess, either way it could happen one day as shocking as the idea was.

"Now you've made me wonder," Homer replied after a few minutes of sitting there in quiet contemplation.

"About what?" Mick asked.

"What my future holds, where I'll be in five, ten years. What I'll be doing, who I'll be with and if I have chosen the right path. But how can you tell if the path you choose is right? How do you know if you'll be happy? How do you know if giving up somebody is right?" Homer suddenly went silent; staring at an empty beer can between his feet. He kicked at it for a moment before finally looking back up at Mick with misty eyes. "Thanks now I feel lost."

"It's okay Homer, these questions often pop up in many people's heads and these questions bother many people because it worries them. The future is the most uncertain thing you can encounter, but you shouldn't get too discouraged because after a while you learn that your life was pretty amazing, I mean you're pretty lucky to live out here." Mick replied as he patted his friend on the shoulder, letting Homer sit there and contemplate what he said. That's when he remembered a song that he liked to play alone, mostly because it wasn't his, but it was a good song to contemplate to at a time like this. "Where's Roger's guitar?"

"In the living room why?" Homer replied.

"I think we should get some help from Jimmy Buffett here," Mick replied as he got up and ran to the living room before returning with Roger's beat up old guitar he got at a pawn shop a few years ago.

Mick sat back down and tuned the guitar to his perfect setting, stringing it for a bit before starting the song. "This one's called 'He Went to Paris' have you heard of it?"

"Once or twice," Homer replied.

"Well listen carefully to the story that Jimmy has told us," Mick said as he began the song.

He went to Paris, looking for answers

to questions that bothered him so.

He was impressive, young and aggressive

Saving the world on his own.

But the warm summer breezes

The French wines and cheeses

Put his ambition at bay

The summers and winters, scattered like splinters

And four or five years slipped away.

Homer listened intently to the song, a song so calming and peaceful that for a moment he forgot about his troubles. He just watched the ocean behind him, the boats that sped by and the occasional bird diving down for some fish. It was a beautiful place and one where Homer did not mind spending the rest of his life. But like Mick said, could he really do that?

Key West was not the biggest city in the world, only a little more than five square miles, not much in ways of big jobs or places to grow for a family. No this was more of a laid back town, where you could fish until your heart's content, drink until you had nothing left, and watched the sun slip into the horizon to bring on a new day. Thing were perfect here if you had plans and knew what the future could hold for you, Moe seemed to be doing that well. He had a house and a bar all to himself. He could get rid of Homer, Barney and Roger at any time. But he wasn't that heartless. No, they were important to him and he wanted them to be happy.

But would they always work for him? What would the years be like for them all? Would they want to move on after so many years of helping him with his business? He had not worried about that until now. Mick seemed to know what he was talking about, he had plans since he was sixteen, he always wanted to be a musician traveling the world. He already had his wish but was willing to keep going. Just from that experience, he was able to tell Homer that he needed to move on and forget what his past had done to him.

Of course it did sort of work until Marge returned to the picture, apparently the memories of her still stayed fixed in his mind even while around the wonderful Jenna. But now that the past had come back to haunt him, he had learned his lesson, it was time to move on, it was time to start planning ahead. It was time to decide what he wanted for the rest of his life. He still had no idea what big plans he wanted, but that was fine, he could figure it out, it would probably take a while but he would figure it out. Jenna had decided what she wanted and he was proud of her for that, too bad he was not going with her on what she was doing. But maybe she would return for him and he would have his life sorted out. At least that's what he hoped.

Yes, Marge never loved him, and it was time to accept that, and it was true that he could not dump Jenna if she ever became single again, that was just too cruel. Marge was happy now and that's what really mattered, she could not be miserable. What if she did go to him on the night of the prom? Would it even work out? Would they want to spend the rest of their lives together? Marge was so different from him that now that he was thinking about it, it was hard to comprehend. Acceptance seemed to finally hit him, but regret was still there as well, he had lost Jenna because of this and he hoped that he had learned his lesson.

But time would only tell, he wished he could embrace Jenna right now, tell her how sorry he was and hope that she would understand. But he knew it would be difficult. Jenna wanted a happy relationship and like she said last night, he did not want her to be miserable. He knew he would try too hard to make her happy and tensions would mount then the breakup would be even worse than before. No, he had to let her decide when it was time to get back together.

Just listening to the song Mick was playing made Homer wish he could travel, travel to this city called Paris and enjoy the warm summer breezes and those delicious French wines and cheeses. He would travel with the boys and learn about the culture and not have to worry about life in general, just have a great time. Maybe one day, when he knew what he was doing with life and that would probably take some time.

Mick finished his song and looked toward Homer; he was staring at the ground, deep in thought, while Barney still snored loudly nearby. It was amazing at what that boy could sleep through. There was a long pause for many moments before Mick finally brought the conversation up to speed again.

"So what are you gonna do with the ring?" Mick asked.

Homer looked up, almost forgetting that he had bought an engagement ring for Jenna a few weeks ago so he could pop the question. He had already upset Mick enough today with what happened last night; did he really want to tell him the truth? The idea of telling him it was in his underpants drawer seemed better than telling him it was at the bottom of the ocean now. But would Mick want to actually see it? That was a very good question and Homer was left to just stare back at Mick with a worried look unsure how to answer.

"I have a special place for it," Homer replied.

"Well then, just keep it safe, you never know when you might use it again," Mick said before letting out a yawn. Now that he got what he wanted out of his chest, the nights events were finally catching up to him.

"I'll do my best," Homer sighed knowing it was in a safe place because he could not even get to it.

"Very good, now I hope you don't mind but I must go back home for some rest, I am exhausted thanks to you," Mick said in a rather grumpy way that made Homer feel a little bad, but of course all that would be fixed with some sweet dreams.

Homer let out a shy sounding sorry as he watched his old friend make his way into the house and head out the door. He was gone before anyone could blink an eye. Moe stood nearby as if waiting for Mick to burst back in to talk some more. Once it was established that things were back in order, Moe walked back into the kitchen to finish scrambling his now burnt eggs. For a moment Homer watched from the entrance of the screen room until finally he made his way to his room and shut the door behind him. There he would stay, nursing his hangover until evening.

A/N: Yeah my ending probably needed a little work but I really could not come up with something better, so I apologize. I hope you liked the other parts of it though. I had it in my mind for a very long time now. Jimmy Buffett is a great singer to work with and if you haven't heard "He Went to Paris" I highly suggest you find the time to do so. It's a beautiful song and in my opinion even better than Margaritaville. Of course I'm just weird that way.

Well now that I got this chapter out of the way, it's time for me to work on the third chapter to Hope and Expectations. Chnprod has been waiting patiently and I really don't want to keep her waiting any longer. So yeah time for me to tell about their opinion on Maggie. This should be interesting. Hopefully it won't sound too repetitive but we will see.

Well please review when you can, I will see you all later.