Finding Home Pt. 11-16

"Why do I have the sudden urge to tell this crew that the bus is leaving in 10 minutes with or without you?" boomed John Moses.

Andy chuckled. He turned around to see John Moses, but there was a surprise there as well: standing next to John was Jen Land. She looked quite lovely, and she ignored the Groton crew to go greet her TA. Grace was ecstatic to see her, and the two hugged and then whispered and giggled. John greeted everyone by their surnames, before turning and introducing them to his, "girlfriend, Dr. Jen Land."

"Heeding your own advice, John?" asked Juliette Broquard, grinning madly as she did so.

All the Groton alums were struck silent with fear. Who the hell calls Coach Moses 'John'? And who would have the audacity to flip him shit, as Juliette had so obviously just done. Andy saw a brief flash of a smile, and then the man burst out laughing.

"Mrs. Broquard, I knew Andre was getting a good one," he grinned at her. "We'll leave you to your dinner. And Sara and Juliette, please don't let Marty know we saw you this evening. He's at his aunts for the evening, and he'd be beside himself if he knew he missed the two of you. You've replaced these four hooligans, I'm afraid." He motioned to the Greats.

He turned to Heather and Austin, "Miss Benson, it's always a pleasure to see you. Mr. Harms, please greet your family for me." He held his hand out to Jen, and she walked to him as they exited the room to go to their table.

Juliette spoke to Andre in French, and Andy was shocked when Sara giggled next to him. Juliette turned to Sara, and spoke to her in French as well, and Andy about fell over when Sara answered her with apparent ease and fluency. Juliette saw his look of surprise, and addressed him. "Yes, your fiancé speaks lovely French. Hers is more Parisian, but she would be quite at home in Montreal. Before long, we will have Marty speaking rudimentary phrases. He already understands us when we address him."

Andre turned to a confused Austin and Heather and explained, "My wife is from Montreal; she's a Special Education teacher. We've all been at Colton for the last couple of days, and Juliette and Sara have been hanging out with Marty while coach had some meetings. Sara and Juliet speak French exclusively when they're around one another, and Marty is beginning to catch on. I'm afraid Coach is right: we have been replaced. Marty has two new favorites," he said, beaming at his wife.

Andy sat there completely stunned, and Sara leaned over to him and whispered. "Six years of French, and then I spent a month in Paris the summer before my Senior year of high school. Brooklyn Prep has a great French teacher," she giggled. "With your Russian and my French, we could have a nice European vacation, don't you think?" She tenderly kissed his nose.

Austin spoke next, "It's been great to catch up. Thanks for letting us crash your get-together for a few minutes. Come on, Heather, I think our table is ready." He offered her his hand and she moved towards him.

Andy was about to exhale in relief, when Heather stopped and turned to him, "Actually, could I talk to Drew for just a second?" She looked at Sara, "I promise no girl drama. You've got that man wrapped around your finger," she smiled genuinely.

Sara nodded at Andy, and as he got up, he got a reassuring nod from Austin.

The two stepped out of the building, and she turned to him. "Drew, she's amazing. I mean, she's gorgeous, and she's really smart. And," she paused, "it's obvious she's good for you. You look like yourself, or at least the guy I once knew. I'd heard -- well - I've heard that the past couple of years have been hard for you. Not to be cruel, but you looked like shit at Linda Moses' funeral."

"Thank you, Heather. It's very kind of you to say," he said kindly. "And I feel like a new person. I did look like shit at Linda's funeral, so no offense taken."

"Listen, I know I kind of apologized over Facebook for being a bitch to you -- but I want to do so again. I didn't realize how well you treated me until I got to college and ran into a string of guys that just wanted to get into my pants. A girl has regrets sometimes," she paused again. "My first time should have been with a guy who cared for me, but instead it was a frat boy named Trevor. That asshole ghosted me immediately afterwards," she frowned.

"Austin seems like a really good guy," said Andy.

"He is. He reminds me of you in how well he treats me. I guess I just needed to see you to get some closure. We're talking about getting married, and while it's not the Beacon Hill life I dreamed of as a high school girl, it's a good life we have. I do love him."

She paused again, "Drew, are we good? Groton is getting a couple of tables for your Navy Cross ceremony, and I'd really like to be there. But I won't if it would be weird for you or Sara."

Andy smiled at her, "We're really good. I'd love for you and Austin to be there. You honor me," he said warmly. "Heather, we were really important to one another once. I appreciate that part of my life more now, I think. Please know that."

She teared up and hugged him, after a bit she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Drew. That was very kind of you to say. Hopefully, we can see the two of you around town. Austin has been talking about making a road trip to see you play again."

She turned and headed back into the restaurant.

Andy stayed outside for a minute to gather his thoughts. She had been important to him. Heather had been kind to Ellen; realizing how important his little sister was to him. Her parents adored Andy, and her dad called him two days after prom obviously upset at what his daughter had done.

"Drew are you OK?" asked Priya O'Leary. She had been sent out to check on him. She came and touched his arm.

"I am. Thank you," he paused. "That was a really good thing. We both needed some closure. She knew it, but I didn't. I guess I thought Praja and Jessica punching her was all the closure I needed," he grinned at her.

She laughed. "Well, I'm glad. When I saw her squaring you up in the entryway, I was worried I'd screwed up. No way I wanted to do that to Sara -- or you -- but especially Sara," she grinned. "Drew, you're so important to Michael. He loves you like a brother -- probably more than his brothers - if I'm being honest. His parents love you, too. Having you back, and better than ever, is a huge relief to both of us. Juliet cried telling me how happy Dre is to have you around again. They've all missed The Captain." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Priya."

"Listen, come inside when you're ready. Swing by the bar when you come in. Sara wants whatever your grandfather made for her at the cabin, but she has no idea what it was. You could probably use a whiskey sour yourself," she smiled kindly at him.

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Andy got their drinks and returned to his friends. Mikey was mid-story, and the whole table was in stitches. Andy sat next to Sara, and whispered, "Here you go, my love. Amaretto sour, light on the Amaretto," he smiled. She kissed him tenderly.

Juliette spoke to Sara in French, and Sara giggled and responded in kind. Andre laughed out loud.

"OK, that's as bad as Drew and Alex talking in Russian, you're killing us ignorant Americans here," protested Mike.

"I was simply telling Sara that she had won the battle without even fighting. The way Drew looks at her sent a very powerful message to his old girlfriend -- who is quite attractive - I might add," explained Juliette.

"So why did Dre laugh?" asked Jake.

"Because I told her that she should see how he looks at me when I'm not wearing clothes," grinned Sara.

"We are all very fortunate," said Juliette after the laughter died down. "We all have men who look at us in such a way that it leaves no doubt in anyone's mind."

"Honestly, it was a bit much when Kail and I moved into The Commons," admitted Grace. "It's kind of rough when you're thinking 'get a room' but you're living in their room," she laughed. "But now that I have a man who looks at me that way, I appreciate it for what it is. I'm actually very fortunate to have had a front row seat to see that, and then to see how Dre and Mike look at their wives. I am a very lucky woman."

Mike raised his glass, and proposed a toast to the ladies. Andy noticed that Juliette drank her water, not her wine. He turned and whispered to Sara. Her eyes went wide, and she spoke to Juliette and Andre in French.

Andre grinned, and Juliette blushed. "Yes, well it would seem that Andrew has sniffed something out," began Juliette, she turned to Andre and nodded.

"We didn't want to steal anyone's thunder, since this is technically Jake and Grace's first date, and Sara's 21^st birthday," he took a deep breath. "But my lovely wife is pregnant."

The table erupted in celebration. Hugs and kisses were shared all around, and Andy noticed the tell-tale glow in Juliette that he'd seen in Priya and Jessica.

After things settled down, Jake asked, "So Drew, how'd you sniff that one out? I live above them, and I had no idea."

Andy grinned, "The toast. I know why you and Priya don't drink, but a French-Canadian woman passing on a good merlot?" He turned to Grace, "Batgirl, you may want to drink bottled water at Jake's place. All the ladies at that address seem to be coming up pregnant."

Grace blushed, and Sara looked a bit confused.

Priya explained. "We live in an old 3-story apartment building. Michael had it remodeled when we got married. We live on the bottom floor, Dre and Juliette live upstairs, and Brian has the top floor. It works out really well, we can look after their places during the hockey season, and then we can all hang out when they're back in town," she paused. "And Grace, we look forward to seeing more of you around the place," she smiled.

Brian looked at Grace, and she nodded excitedly. "Well, you're going to be seeing lots more of Grace around the place. I talked with her parents this afternoon, and we're going to Buffalo next weekend. We're not in a rush, but we're going to get married," he grinned madly.

Sara shrieked and hugged her friend. And once again, hugs and kisses were given around the table. Andy pulled Brian aside, whispered something to him, and disappeared into the other room. He returned momentarily with John Moses and Jen Land. Both had their wine glasses with them.

Andy looked quite pleased with himself when he said, "OK, Jake my man, could you repeat what you just said for the benefit of the Dr.'s Moses and Land?" he smirked. Jake did as he was asked, and Jen Land responded with a look of shock and joy. She and Grace embraced, and there were tears shared -- not between a teacher and a student -- but between friends. John Moses looked pleased, and stood there chuckling to himself before congratulating both Brian and Grace.

Plans were made for tomorrow, and Jen Land, who had come to Boston to help with Marty while the movers did their work at the Moses home, made plans to go ring shopping the next afternoon. Once all was settled, John and Jen returned to their table.

Dinner flew by, and soon the Broquard's and O'Leary's were headed home, and Andy, Sara, Brian and Grace were headed to Beacon Hill. It was agreed that Andy and Sara would act really surprised when this news was shared with Eden and Kail.

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Andy and Sara both got a text from Sydney at about 9 PM. She had taken a selfie of she and Cooper, obviously enjoying their post-coital glow lying in Andy and Sara's bed, and sent it to them with the hashtag #Andy'd. Later in the evening, they got a text from Haylee reporting on her 'wonderful evening,' with the same hashtag, and a very excited Jeannie Flannery communicated that Todd had walked her to her dorm and kissed her good night. It had indeed been a good night.

When they got back to Beacon Hill, Andy excused himself to find Christopher. He'd sent Andy a YouTube video as well, and Andy needed a chance to download a chord chart and run through it before attempting to play in front of people.

He heard the ruckus when Grace and Brian told the three roommates what was going on in their relationship. Andy smiled as he heard footsteps rapidly approaching the study where he and Christopher were working through the new songs for the evening. He set his guitar down just as Kail burst through the door and tackled him.

"Dreamy, you've got to stop with that Chris Stapleton Voodoo. All my besties are falling like flies," she laughed. She then thought better of it and said, "Actually, can you follow Miles and I around on Monday night serenading us? No reason Power Girl shouldn't get in on the action, too."

Andy heard Jakes's voice, "Sorry Captain. I told them again about you singing in the truck, and I guess they think there's a connection," he said laughing.

Andy played dumb, and watched gleefully as Grace and Brian walked him through the blossoming of their relationship. Andy's phone buzzed, and he noted that everyone in the room got the same text from Ellen.

11 PM. DeHughes in Concert. 3 songs. One night only. Living Room.

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At the appointed hour, all the family and guests were seated in the Living Room. Christopher had set up a better camera, and put three stools in front of the fireplace. There were three microphones and small speakers hooked to a mixing board. He had recruited Jake, and on his signal, he flashed the living room lights to let folks know the show was about to begin.

Christopher addressed the group, "Thank you for coming to our little soiree. This first song is one the three of us haven't sung in a long time. We -- and by that I think I mean I -- went through a stage of really liking Lady A. They had two guys and a girl, and when we were in high school, I fancied that I was indeed in this cool group with Andy and Ellen. If you know their music, you know they've done some great love songs. Well, since I had neither the courage nor the words to actually tell Ellen what was going on in my head, I secretly loved the fact that this music said what I could not," he looked at her and smiled. "We hope you enjoy it."

Andy spoke, "This is a good slow dance song, so those of you with suitable partners for such activity," he grinned, "you've got about 10 seconds to get ready."

Jake grabbed Grace, and Alex and Jessica got up. Even the Judge grabbed Helen, and finally Kail and Eden stood up. Andy winked at Sara, and invited her to come stand next to him.

Andy began playing, and his voice was they first to be heard.

I finally asked you to dance

On the last slow song

Beneath that moon that was really a disco ball

Sara smiled when she heard Ellen pick up the next phrase.

I can still feel my head on your shoulder

And hoping that song would never be over

All three blended beautifully for the chorus. Sara saw the tears in Christopher's eyes as he looked at Ellen while they sang together.

I haven't seen you in ages

Sometimes I find myself

Wondering where you are

For me you'll always be 18

And beautiful and dancing away with my heart

As Andy began the second verse, he turned to look at Sara.

I brushed your curls back so I could see your eyes

Ellen echoed on the next phrase

And the way you moved me was like you were reading my mind

The siblings again blended their voices to perfection as they finished the final phrase.

I can still feel you leaning to kiss me

I can't help but wonder if you ever miss me

Sara closed her eyes and let the music have its way with her. She was utterly happy. Her man was singing to her like there was no one else in the room. He made her feel so loved. He communicated that to her in a hundred different ways, but this was her favorite.

At the final chorus, the three cut it loose. Ellen and Christopher both had powerful voices, and Andy harmonized with them to perfection. Sara felt the chills run down her spine as she stood next to him. Then, all too soon, the song was over. The dancing couples reluctantly stopped. A quiet applause met the efforts of the trio. Andy grabbed Sara's hand as she hugged him. She kissed him, and returned to her seat on the couch with Kail and Eden.

Ellen spoke next, "I remember talking with Grandpa about this next song. We heard it on the radio one day, and he sang along with it like it was an old friend. I remember thinking, 'Wow! my grandfather can really sing.' Well, I later found out from Droobie that Grandpa sang this song to himself when he was in Vietnam, and Grandma was in Maine. This is a classic that was first released in 1967. So, I'm going to sit down and ask that the Judge join Andy and Christopher."

Helen beamed with pleasure, while her husband looked utterly befuddled. Jessica burst into laughter and began clapping, while her grandfather shot her a look of mock disapproval. Sara and Ellen clapped and cheered madly. While Christopher moved to the piano, Andy showed his grandfather the lyrics to the next song. He looked at him dubiously, and Andy said, "Don't worry, you'll have lots of backup," grinning madly.

Andy and Christopher began to play, and Christopher nodded to the Judge.

He sang in a beautiful tenor voice,

It's knowing that your door is always open

And your path is free to walk

That makes me know that I can leave

My sleeping bag rolled up and stashed behind your couch

It's knowing I'm not shackled by forgotten words and bonds

And your ink stains that have dried upon some line

That keeps you on the back roads by the rivers of my memory

It keeps you ever gentle on my mind

Andy and Christopher blended with him seamlessly. You would have thought they had sung this hundreds of times. Andy looked at Sara grinning as he sang; while she looked at him with love and admiration. Helen sat with her hands over her mouth, tears running down her face at her husband's performance. Ellen sat next to her and put her arm around her lovingly. Their rendition of 'Gentle on My Mind' was an instant hit with the Living Room crowd. Raucous applause met the end of this song.

Helen got up immediately and kissed her husband passionately. The entire room went silent, as she whispered to him and hugged him. Andy smiled when the older man had to wipe a tear from his face. Helen moved to Andy next, hugging and kissing him while she thanked him. Not to be left out, Christopher received similar treatment from the family matriarch. Andy had to wipe a tear from his own face. The women in the room were all in tears.

Finally, Andy spoke. "OK, well since we can't top that, this seems like a good time to let you know we lied to you. There are actually four songs on tap for this evening, we just have a surprise for a couple of you."

"Those of you who were here earlier tonight have already heard this song, but," he paused dramatically, "a little bird tells me that the pride of Avon Lake, Ohio has actually sung this song publicly. So, Miss Kail Sunderland -- please step up."

"Oh shit," Kail muttered. She turned to Grace and Eden, "When I find out which one of you two bitches ratted me out, you're gonna get a face full of Power Girl." She put her fingers up to her eyes, and gave them the universal 'I'm watching you' motion. The room burst into applause, and a blushing Kail joined Andy.

Andy began the 'blank space/style' mashup that he and Ellen sang earlier. Kail entered, a bit timidly, but she closed her eyes and began to sing more confidently. She opened her eyes to a smiling Andy, and watched and listened to him closely as the song continued. While she was not as polished a singer as Ellen, she sang well. She was applauded madly when the song concluded, and hilariously bowed and blew kisses to the audience. Andy sat laughing and clapping as she sat down.