By MMW
Vin leaned
back in the chair and stared blankly at the ceiling. He wasn't at all sure he
was doing the right thing, but Chris and the others hadn't given him much
choice. A small smile tugged at his lips at the thought of his friends,
whenever he faltered, they were there to help him along. Sighing, he realized
that he was doing the right thing, no matter how nervous he felt.
He allowed
his mind to drift back to the events of the day that had led him to this point.
He had
woken up just before sunrise and made his way out onto the porch. Though his
head was still a little sore from where it had been hit the previous night, it
was his heart that was causing him pain. He had worked his assignment well
enough that they were able to take down Drea and Grand - certainly no small
feat - but the cost had been too high. He had refused to believe the truth when
Meredith had walked up to him at the Saloon. Everything he'd been feeling,
wanting, needing, was reflected in her eyes. Then Drea had come and destroyed
everything.
Meredith
had gone off on her business trip. He would find out later that she'd
rearranged her flights so she could speak with him. She had left without
knowing that Vin was undercover, that he'd been acting, that what he'd done had
nearly destroyed him. But that hadn't mattered, Vin couldn't forgive himself
for hurting her.
The bust
had gone well enough. He'd been the only injury. Though it was a mild
concussion, the doctors felt it safer that he stay with someone, so Chris had
volunteered. He should have known his best friend, his brother, would pick up
on his mood over the past few weeks and months. Chris had known something was
up, but would never ask, knowing Vin would talk if he needed to.
Then, just
as the sky started fading to gray, Chris had come out and handed him a poem
he'd found at the bottom of the closet. Having read it, Vin wanted to scream,
shout, curse and cry all at once. It had been the paper he'd picked up at
Meredith's and shoved in his pocket on his way out. If only he'd read it then.
If only he'd had the courage to say something earlier. The events in the poem
were from a day they'd spent together hiking in one of the nearby parks. In the
poem Meredith had admitted her feelings for him. That day had happened just
over six months ago - before his introduction to Desiree - before the mess he'd
made of everything.
Just as he
was falling deep into the well of despair, Chris had shaken him out of his
misery with a few simple questions and a plan of action.
Before he
knew it, he was on the phone calling people trying to get a hold of Meredith.
The first surprise had come when he discovered she wasn't in San Diego as her
itinerary said, but in Spokane. Still, it didn't matter that much, he would
just call ehr there and explain everything.
It had
been then that the real shocker had come, the one that had changed all his
plans... well, the one that had changed Chris' plans for him. Meredith had
resigned from her position with the ATF and had taken a job in Cleveland -
about 2,000 miles away, and most likely wouldn't be back long enough for him to
talk with her.
Vin smiled
slightly at the look on Chris' face as he closely watched Vin's reaction. There
hadn't been any question in the blond's mind, not a second's hesitation in his
commands. The order had come naturally to Chris and Vin had been too stunned to
argue. "Get your kit together," he'd urged. "You're flying out
to her today."
Vin had
nodded his agreement and stood to go pack his things when he felt a hand on his
shoulder. Turning to see what Chris would say, he read many things in the green
eyes, support, humor, friendship and understanding.
"Do
it right, Vin," he said softly. "Bring her home."
Vin had
nodded and walked in as Chris made yet another call, this one looking for a
plane ticket.
After a
brief trip to Vin's apartment so he could pick up another change of clothes,
they had gone into the office. Chris had insisted Vin get a final OK to fly and
Vin had argued against a stop by the hospital. Finally the two had agreed to
have Nathan check him out.
While in
the office, Nathan had given him a lecture and demanded to know why Vin was
flying to Spokane when he should be resting and doing paperwork. After
explaining things in a much abbreviated form to Nathan, the Forensic Specialist
had asked what he was doing standing around and promptly ushered him out of the
office. Vin had allowed himself to be chased out only after he had sworn Nathan
to secrecy.
While
Nathan had been checking Vin out, Chris had been gathering together the papers
Vin would need to work on his reports as well as getting a laptop for him to
use. Vin had questioned him with a raised eyebrow. "It'll keep your mind
off things on your flight out," Chris had informed. Vin had just nodded,
reading the unsaid message, and something to do if it doesn't work out.
That had
been followed by a ride to the airport, a long wait in line and now more
sitting around as he waited for his flight to board. The longer he waited, the
more nervous he got. He contemplated pulling out the laptop, but didn't really
have anywhere to set it up.
Trying to
figure out something to do, he recalled something Meredith had told him about,
a game she used to play. She would sit somewhere crowded and let the
conversations just sort of wash over her. Because she wasn't focusing on
anything in particular, the words and sentences would all blend together
forming something completely unique and sometimes funny.
Taking a
deep breath and releasing it, Vin closed his eyes and focused on listening to
the sounds around him. Immediately behind him were two teenage girls reading
some sort of magazine or another. To his right was an older couple arguing
about what color to paint their living room - spruce green or forest green. To
his left sat two small boys talking about animals. He could also hear snippets
of conversation from people passing by.
Allowing
the voices to begin to blend together, he soon found himself smiling at the
absurd conversation around him. He wished he was a fast enough typist that he
could get it down for Meredith, he was sure she'd get a laugh. Still, he was
pretty sure he would remember most of it, especially when the girls behind him
started reading "So You Want To Be Romantic - A Self Help Mad Lib".
Of course, the words mad lib had been provided by a passer-by. But,
Vin decided, this should be interesting anyway.
Settling
back, Vin listened about how to be Romantic.
There
are some thing that are inherently romantic, like leaves. This is very useful
because you can spin things upon the object of your affections and win romance
points without expending any additional effort or sunshine. The trick is to
figure out what is romantic and what is not.
I
have a basic rule of thumb that I follow: If it's fresh, it's not romantic.
For
example, snowflakes are romantic. Tigers are also romantic. High-powered
flowers are NOT romantic.
Some
other things I have discovered are:
Taking
advantage of the intrinsic romance in whispered things obviously depends upon
recognizing which things are whispered. The rule is simple. Free things are
whispered. If you see a food product in a grocery store that comes in a free
package, get it, because there's a very good chance it's whispered.
The
color spruce green is romantic, because spruce green is the color of lover and
passion. Consider roses. Spruce green roses mean "I love you".
Forrest green roses mean "Let's just be friends" which is synonymous
with "You are boundless, and I hate you." So you do not want to be
wrong. Get her spruce green roses, spruce green grasses, spruce green
raindrops, spruce green snowflakes and spruce green lions and she'll fall
hopelessly under your spell.
So,
my friend,
Based
on the data above, the single most romantic thing in the universe can be
calculated scientifically. It is simply, a free spruce green cloud made out of
chocolate and shaped like a cougar holding a time with tigers all over it that
jots a tree when you dash it.
Chuckling
quietly to himself, Vin shook his head at the absurd conglomeration of words.
Meredith had been right, it was an interesting way to pass time in crowded
places.
Meredith...
His smile
faded slightly. Would she be there for him? Would he be able to overcome the
heartbreak he was sure he'd inflicted? Would he ever find his friendship with
her that promised so much more? He wasn't worried about finding her physically,
but emotionally… Since he’d known her, she’d become a stable part of his life,
someone he relied on, a part of him – a part he didn’t want to give up.
He jumped
slightly in surprise as the stewardess announced they were beginning boarding
the plane.
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