Finding Home Pt. 09-10

Author's Note: I'm very grateful for the comments and feedback. To that end, here's a bigger chunk, as well as a list of characters who have nicknames in this installment. As always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy.

Cast of Characters/nickname(s)

Andy DeGroat: Droobie/The Captain/Captain Rex/Dreamy DeHottie

Sara Jones-Easley: M&M's/Kisses/Bellissima

Ellen DeGroat: Smellen/Ells

Kail Sunderland: Power Girl/Special K

Grace Federspiel: Batgirl/Gracie

Jessica and Alex Fedorov: JFed and AFed/'Sica

Eden Adams: Snips/Ahsoka/Elsa/E

Friday

Sara asked Andy to wake her when he got up. They woke up together, and she looked on amused as he made the bed to Corps specifications. He did yoga and some Pilates as a recovery workout, while she packed and took pictures of her clothes that were not making the trip. They made love in the shower, got dressed, and sat at a pub table enjoying a cup of coffee together. Andy had never had such a perfect morning. They talked amiably about the day ahead.

"So, here's the deal: we'll take the chopper to Boston, and then the plane from there to NYC. Ellen is meeting us with a car. Normally, we'd just do the subway, but with the luggage, we'll Uber it. We'll unload at the apartment, and then head to your mom's school. The rest of that night is TBD. It's her show tonight -- well her and Ellen's," he smiled.

"Saturday morning, we have breakfast, and then take a car to the diamond district. Ellen has the places scoped out, so she's steering at that point. I know she got us in before retail opening at one place. By the way, I know Jessica was texting her ideas as we were looking yesterday. Lunch is whatever Ellen suggests, and then you and I have the afternoon to ourselves. Dinner is at 6:30 at Le Bernadin. It's a really nice place, so I look forward to the little black dress making a return. We'll fly back Sunday about lunch time, and should be back here by late afternoon."

"So, when are you asking me to marry you?" she asked smiling.

"What color is your dress?" he asked.

"I'm not telling," she replied, grinning madly.

"Then I'm not telling either," he said.

Kail and Grace went past them on their way to the showers, pausing to hug them both and kiss Andy on the cheek. "Power Girl. Batgirl -- it's good to see you both this morning. I hope you slept well."

Kail stopped, and turned around to them. "Kisses, please tell your man to stop blowing your mind. I've jilled myself so much the past two days, I'm afraid I'm a lesbian. But, I gotta say, Dreamy -- the Judge hooked us up. That Chill Pad thing is a life-changer."

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They went to breakfast, and Sara treated him to so much wiggle as she went to eat with her team that Andy just about died. He joined his Calculous comrades, and they enjoyed replaying last night's hockey scrimmage. Andy realized that Jeannie was talking to him, but his mind was already in New York City.

As they walked to class, Sydney discreetly slid next to Andy, while Haylee occupied Cooper and Jeannie. Andy noticed their 'divide and conquer' strategy and smiled. "So, Cooper hasn't figured it out yet, has he?" asked Andy quietly, smiling as he did so.

She laughed. "Sara says you have 'Spidey sense' or something like that. Is it that obvious?"

"It is to me, but I tend to notice stuff that that. It's an occupational hazard for a sniper. Nice teamwork, by the way. Haylee was really subtle."

"So, what should I do? He trusts and respects you a lot, Andy. Would you talk to him?" she asked.

"I'd be glad to. For what it's worth, you're way out of his league," he smiled. She laughed.

"And thank you -- by the way. This thing Haylee and I are doing this weekend sounds amazing! Andy -- they're going to build a freaking dorm for female athletes! If we all sign, it will be $30 million dollars. I know Ellen is your sister, and that you were the hookup." She kissed him on the cheek. "You're a good dude, Andy DeGroat."

"Well, you're welcome, and thank you. When Ellen told me she needed two more models for her as-of-yet-unnamed fashion line for hard to fit, athletic women, I immediately thought of the two of you. I hear the money is pretty good?"

"So, does that mean you've been checking us out?" she asked teasingly, and then laughed. "I'm just messing with you. The money is amazing. Plus, your sister Jessica greased the skids with my parents. She wrote the contracts, apparently. We make good money -- which the group that's giving the money for the dorm . . ." she hesitated.

"The Sumner-White group." Andy filled in. "Sumner-White was my great-grandmother's maiden name."

"That's so cool! Anyway, what really sold my folks was all my modeling money is going into a retirement fund that Sumner-White manages. When my dad saw the amortization schedule, he was sold. My mom loves the fact that we get to keep whatever clothes we model. Then when you throw in a new dorm for female athletes, with a plaque that acknowledges whoever participates for making the building possible -- well how could I say no?"

"You can't. That rarely happens in life, so appreciate how fortunate the two of you are," he said thoughtfully. "And Sydney? There's a good chance Cooper will be at the shoot Sunday AM." He paused and looked at her, "He has no idea how amazing you will look. You will blow his mind. I know this for two reasons: you are an amazingly beautiful woman, and my sister Ellen knows her business. Please remember that when he stands there like a jackass. He literally will not be able to speak."

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Andy and Sara loaded way more luggage than Andy had imagined and headed to the cabin. Jessica and Alex were there to see them off, and played their parts perfectly. Sara made one more plea to get them to come to New York City, and Jessica lovingly told her it wasn't possible. 30 minutes later, they were in a chartered jet, headed to New York City.

A smiling Ellen was waiting for them at the airport, and the driver quickly put a ton of luggage in the trunk. She hugged and kissed them both, and then gave her apologies. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go back to work. Long story short, Donna loves my sketches for the dresses for grandpa's award ceremony, and she wants to run a partial line in the fall. We flew our first model in from Paris on Wednesday evening to take some test shots. They're amazing. But the model is new, and since I know her best -- and they're 90% my designs -- I need to get back to work."

Sara looked disappointed, until Andy said, "That's great Ells. Please give our love to Eden. I'm sure she looks amazing in your stuff, especially with her shorter hair. And congratulations! I'm guessing interns don't normally get to do this, this soon?"

"Wait. Eden is the model? Ellen, why didn't either of you tell me?" exclaimed Sara.

"I'll tell you more at dinner. Gina tells me you have to stand in line at Lucali. We'll have time to talk then, and I'll drag Eden with me. I love you both so much! This weekend is going to be awesome!" She hugged and kissed them both, and then hopped into a waiting car.

"Andrew DeGroat. You knew about this, didn't you?" asked Sara accusingly when they were in the car.

"Ellen swore me to secrecy. I can tell you this, though. She filled a sketchbook when we were at French and English. Part of that was being really nervous and a bit stressed, but most of it was you. She loves you, Bellissima. You were her muse. Even Christopher just had to sit back and laugh. It was like you were the only two in the room. She was a woman possessed," he explained.

"Wow," said Sara. "I mean, she had her 'Andy' look on her face, but I had no idea."

"I know you said that before, but I'm not sure I buy it," he said, feigning offense.

"All three of you have this look. You're locked in, and woe to the unfortunate soul that gets in your way. That's why Alex and I sat on the side of the room for your hearing. We both wanted to see Jessica's face, and her 'Andy' look. The two of you looked so much alike, it was all Alex and I could do not to bust up laughing!" she giggled.

The car came to a stop, and Andy tipped the driver after unloading their luggage. Sara buzzed the super, who let them into the apartment building. They dropped their bags off, and then headed to the Subway station. As they walked along, Andy softly sang to her,

I have often walked down the street before

but the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before

all at once am I several stories high,

knowing I'm on the street where you live.

Andy's singing, and being back home, combined to bring Sara to tears.

"Sara Gina Jones-Easley, those had better be happy tears," chided Andy lovingly.

"Baby, I'm so happy. I can't talk. All I can do is cry."

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Andy and Sara were met at the door of Gina's school by the Dean of Students. "Sara. Andy. I'm Thomas Shaw. I teach bass, and I'm also the Dean of Students here. Gina asked me to let you in and take you to her classroom. She's just about done. She'll be so glad to see you. It's all she's been talking about this week. It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

Andy smiled when the man introduced himself. "Thomas Shaw? Like Tommy Shaw? So, as the Dean, you make sure there are no 'girls with guns' here?"

Sara looked at him like he has lost his mind, but Thomas laughed.

"Usually I get, 'why must you be such an angry young man?'" He laughed, "How does a guy as young as you know about Tommy Shaw in all his iterations?"

"I'm a Marine. Being deployed exposes you to all kinds of musical tastes. My CO loved Styx and Damn Yankees. When he was in high school, he even sported the hair-band 'do. He was a really good man."

The bell rang, and a herd of students swarmed the hallways. Thomas escorted them safely through the mass of humanity to Gina's studio. She was wearing dance leggings, and a loose t-shirt. He saw the resemblance immediately. He also noticed the look on Tommy Shaw's face when he looked at Gina Jones.

He then lost his hearing for about 10 seconds. The shrieking, and laughing, and screaming was deafening. Gina was a good three inches shorter than her daughter, but gave up nothing in volume. When the initial blitzkrieg of sound had stopped, she noticed Andy.

"Well -- damn baby! Just, damn! Andy, you are even more beautiful in person. Please come hug me, and give me a kiss."

Andy smiled and did as he was told. Gina totally checked him out -- grabbing his chest and biceps. Sara protested, "Momma!" But Gina just laughed and smiled approvingly. Looking over Andy's shoulder, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Dean Shaw." Tommy nodded, smiled, and exited her classroom.

As soon as he was sure Tommy was out of earshot, Andy asked, "So how long have and Tommy been seeing one another?"

Mother and daughter looked at him in shock and disbelief.

"Baby!" protested Sara. "No way. You can't do that to me," she said crestfallen. Tears flooded her eyes.

Gina began to laugh. "Oh, baby girl. You're right! This one misses nothing. He nailed that in what? Two minutes? What gave it away, if I may ask? We try to keep it professional here at school. Maybe we're not a slick as we thought."

"I saw him look at you when he showed us to your room. I get teased for how I look at Sara. I guess I just recognized a fellow connoisseur of the Jones women," he explained. "Any man that can appreciate beauty is OK in my book."

Sara turned to her mother with a look of shock on her face. "Momma? Really? Why haven't you told me?"

"Baby girl, until a week ago you were mad at the damn world. No way I was going to drop that on you. I hope you like him; he's coming to dinner with us tonight. It will be the four of us, your Aunt Gloria and Uncle Vito, and Eden and Ellen. Andy, I just love your sister. She's so talented. I feel like I know you so much better by talking with her. She loves you both very much, by the way. Bellissima, I am so happy for you! This weekend is going to be so much fun."

When they got back to the apartment, Gina grabbed a quick shower, changed, and sat with Andy and Sara in their living room. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, with faint lines around her eyes being the only clue to her age. Sara had her mother's mouth and eyes, and both were equally blessed in the bust category. Andy smiled in spite of himself.

"So, because this is all going to be a whirlwind, and we don't have a ton of time alone -- what are you thinking about a wedding? What about after college? Andy, I respect the hell out of you -- just from knowing your story and getting to know your family. I'm just wondering how you're going to take care of this one?" as she nodded to Sara.

"Well, I'll let Sara answer the wedding question -- I just hope to be invited," he joked. "My grandmother and great aunt started an investment group that currently manages about $500 million in assets. They'd like me to take that over when I'm done with college. Sara and I would like to live in Boston -- though I'm finding Brooklyn very appealing."

"How so?" Gina interjected.

"This is Sara in her natural habitat. She's a city girl. Plus, seeing the two of you together is amazing. She's told me about growing up with a single mom. I'm a fan, Gina; a really big fan of yours. You raised the most amazing woman I've ever met by yourself. That's some serious Kung Fu."

"I know this, we really want to live by family. If we live in Boston, my two sisters and their families will be there as well. I spent 6 years wandering the world getting shot at. I'm ready to settle down. I've found an amazing woman, and I just really want to be wherever she is. It's not that hard for me," said Andy winsomely.

"We want to get married in December, momma. Actually, I'd marry Andy tomorrow in a subway station, but we're thinking December. Andy is receiving the Navy Cross in August, at his grandfather's lifetime achievement award dinner. Ellen gets married the next weekend in Boston, so there's a lot going on. Andy's giving her away, and she's asked me to be a bridesmaid. Plus, we want to spend as much time with you as we can."

"Well, let me shed some light on something: I will go wherever my grandchildren are. I know a thing or two about making a beautiful baby, and yours will be gorgeous. I'm totally biased, but I also know that I'm also absolutely right. Andy, I'm so glad you have family that loves and accepts Sara. We never had that, and it left a scar -- on both of us," she said wistfully.

She looked at her watch. "We need to head downstairs and get Tommy. Gina and Vito are meeting us there, as are Ellen and Eden. This place is BYOB, so we need to stop at a bodega and get something to drink."

_______________________________________________________

Andy held Sara's hand, and noticed Tommy do the same. "Baby, they look good together, don't they?" Sara whispered.

"Your mom looks really happy," he said. "What happened to two bad ass chicks from Brooklyn? I'm waiting for 'Sara from the block' to show up, but she's MIA so far," he joked.

"'Sara from the block' met an amazing man who loves her like crazy. She's now 'Andy's Sara.' 'Andy's Sara' borrowed her man's Sig, and shot that bitch 'Sara from the block.' She dead," she said, her Brooklyn accent suddenly becoming more pronounced. He laughed, and she giggled.

______________________________________________________________

There was more sonic screaming when Eden and Ellen arrived. Even though this was Brooklyn, and people there are used to demonstrative expressions -- well, even the native Brooklynites were shocked at the noise generated.

Eden and Sara hugged for what seemed like an eternity, and Ellen and Andy used the time to do the same.

"I'm so proud of you Ells. Your third day on the job and Donna's ready to call Eden from Paris? Damn Smellen, you got game."

She laughed. "There's a couple of things you need to know. She tried to hire me right out of school. As an alum, she comes and critiques our collections, and she really liked my work. She knew about me before I got there, I guess. Second, we must meet with her on our first day and give our project ideas. Well, I walked in and plopped down a sketchbook of your girl. Donna was blown away. She loved the idea, and was ready to run with it from Day 1. I just hope Sara, Kail, and Grace will play along. Grandma and Aunt Jane greased the skids pretty well, I have to admit. A whole new dorm for female athletes? That's some serious juice."

"Speaking of which, are we OK for tomorrow night? We may need to add Tommy Shaw, and then there's Sydney and Haylee."

"Got it covered," she said. "Andy, no joke. Aunt Jane could run the damn world - I shit you not. I thought Jessica got crap done, but Aunt Jane is next level 'get crap done yesterday.' It's amazing to watch."

"So how many are we up to?" he asked cautiously.

"25," she said. "I included the Hughes family, by the way. I hope you don't mind."

He looked at her. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't. They're family now. Alex reminded me of something -- their kid will have no grandparents. We need the Hughes family. They're great. I've gotten to know Cooper, and he's a really good dude."

"Christopher says he won't shut up about you and Alex. He's also been talking to him about some girl named Sydney Steele -- she's one of the two additional models, right?"

Andy nodded.

"He really likes her, but apparently, he held a candle for Eden Adams."

She watched her brother's face closely. Andy had not a glimmer of discomfort or regret. He just smiled when she mentioned it.

"He ought to go with Sydney. Eden is -- well I don't know how to say it," he mused.

"I do. She's still in love with her best friend's fiancé. He can't compete with that. She needs time, Droobie. She knows she did the right thing, and all this just proves it. But Drew, she and her entire family thought you were it. She was going to be Eden DeGroat, end of story. She's amazing, really. I don't think I could ever do that -- but I've never had a female friend like Sara. She's really, really special Drew. I know you know that, but I feel like I can't say it enough. They both are. I marvel at how much they love one another."

"And hey, two more heads up related to Gina: Tommy Shaw is also the bass player for Harry Connick Jr.'s trio. He's an amazing musician. Christopher is giddy for the chance to sit in with them, and Tommy thinks he can make it happen. He really liked the video of you guys at our engagement dinner. We're trying to get them for our reception. I'd say there a lock for yours, however."

"Wow," said Andy. "That's amazing. What's the second thing?"

"Tommy and Gina are serious -- like really serious. She wouldn't pull the trigger because of Sara, but now he's got the green light. He asked her if there was anyone he needed to talk to about marrying her, and she said he needed to talk to you. They're both totally ready to move to Boston, as well."

"Damn," Andy muttered. "Dude has some stones. Good for him. She's amazing."

"Andy, have you seen any recent pictures of Sara's birth father? He's beautiful as well, I mean like drop-dead handsome, at age 50. I know Sara was hot as hell, but Drew, she'll look amazing forever if her gene pool is any indication. I keep thinking at some point I'll stop being impressed by how fortunate you are, but you keep surprising me, big brother."

Andy smiled. "Speaking of surprised: you look amazing. I'm stunned each time I see you. My little sister is a babe, and totally in love with a great guy. I'm so happy for you, Ellen. Sara's helping me practice giving you away. I gotta warn you; I may be a weepy mess. I may just nod, hand you to Christopher, and go cry on grandma's shoulder."