DAY ONE (December 19th):
Gerry stood at he helm of their ship, not entirely sure when it was they had crossed over through the nexus, but it had gotten warmer. He shed his wool coat and stared ahead as the land approached. Could it really have been this easy, after all these years? Was it really such a simple matter of being in the right place at the right time to get home? Ginny stepped up beside him, glancing up at her big brother. A bright smile crossed her lips as she took his arm in her's holding on tight as they rolled onward toward the docks.
"Welcome home, Big Brother." she said, turning those big blue eyes up at him. Home. This was not home. Hadn't been for a long time. But the smile on his sister's face, was enough to bring one to his. She rested her crimson head on his shoulder as he turned his gaze forward. This was gonna be a long trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose and Bill Finnegan were a simple couple. Now into their 60's, they were a solid couple. Bill, tall and broad much like his son. A little beer gut had worked its way to him over his later years, but he was still strong as a bear. His hair grey and thinning, thick glasses on his face. Rose was a tiny, frail-looking thing with big brown eyes and a kind face. Her long brown hair streaked with silver and perpetually in a pony tail. 19 years ago, they lived through a nightmare. Something no parent should ever have to face. When Gerry went, he took a piece of them with him. It took years before things got anywhere near normal again. It didn't help matters that their Daughter kept up with her pointless search, dredging up the memory they wished they could forget.
Gerry was gone and he was NEVER coming back.
Today, Rose was running around the place like a mad-woman, cleaning. Ginny was coming home for the holidays, and of course that meant an insane cleaning spree. For her, anyway. Bill sat in his recliner, an old war movie playing out on the screen, a beer in his hand. He glanced over in annoyance as she plugged in the vacuum and sighed loudly as she came nearer and nearer.
Over the sound of the vacuum, she said without looking, "Swear to god, Bill, you say one word about me blocking the TV, this thing's goin' up your backside sideways."
Bill opened his mouth to say something and she shot him a look. So, he just smiled politely and drank his beer.
"Will you get up off your ass, and go make sure the stove is on?"
"Aw! But...but..." He pointed at the TV almost petulantly, like he was clearly doing something important.
She gave him a withering look. "Spoiler alert, Bill. The Germans lose. Go check the oven."
"Ugh! Fine-uh! But because *I* want to." With a grumble he got to his feet and wandered into the kitchen, putting on a show like a disgruntled teenager. Rose smirked after him, going about her cleaning.
The bell chimed out it's merry little tune. "That would have to be Ginny." she thought.
"ROSE, GET THE DOOR!" Bill shouted from the kitchen.
"I'm getting the-"
"ROSE, THE DOORBELL!"
Rose bit her lip, staring in wide eyes annoyance at the kitchen as she heard him snickering. "Yeah, laugh it up. I make your food." she muttered, trudging over as the bell rang again. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, kid. Keep your pants on."
She opened the door, expecting to find a slender redheaded girl standing there. This was not what she found. She looked up...and up at the tall man before her. Well, he was a handsome fella. And those eyes...they looked so familiar.
Gerry stared wide-eyed, his mind going a mile a minute. He went to speak but no sound would come. Ginny stepped out from behind him. "Mom..."
Her mom looked to her a moment. "Gin...who..." She turned back to Gerry. Rose's heart dropped as she realized, her smile slowly falling. She stared up at him her mouth agape. "Oh my god." She said in a quiet voice, her eyes welling with tears.
"Hey, Mom." He managed in a tiny voice.
Rose suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down into a tight hug. She was unable to say anything at the moment, her voice catching in her throat as her body shook. Gerry's arms slowly wrapped around her as Ginny looked on, smiling through tears.
"My boy. My boy, my baby boy..." Rose muttered over and over again, clinging to him as if he might disappear again.
"HEY HON, I THINK I MIGHT BE BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN! SHOULD THERE BE SMOKE?!" came Bill's shout from the kitchen.
Rose sighed. He was luck she loved him. Bill leaned out from the doorway with a mischievous grin that would look familiar to anyone who knew Gerry. And there he found his wife, clinging to some strange man. And...Ginny. Oh no. Who was THIS meathead?
And why was Rose crying? Oh hell. Was Ginny engaged? Was this brick of a man going to be his son in law? Wait...no...Ginny wasn't into men.
Gerry glanced up to him and suddenly, it was like Bill was looking into a mirror, 40 years ago. He froze in place.
"...Gerry?" he managed. Rose reluctantly let go and looked back at her husband, the bliss on her face shining bright, though she sobbed.
Gerry couldn't help the grin the crossed his lips. "Dad." he gave his mother's shoulder a squeeze and stepped around her, the two men heading right for eachother. Ginny stepped up beside her mother and put an arm around her, a proud smile on her lips. The boys more slammed into an embrace than hugged. Bill laughed holding his son tight for the first time in 19 years. He pulled Gerry away, holding him out to look at him. "God...I thought I'd lost you, boy!" He looked him over a moment, before the smile came back and he grabbed him again.
Rose and Ginny made their way over. Rose placing a hand on her husbands shoulder as he finally stepped back, his big meaty hands taking Gerry by his cheeks. "Look at this guy! Rose, you see our boy here?!" Gerry couldn't help but laugh.
Rose smiled, clutching her husband and looking him over. "Yes. Yes I do."
Bill shook his head, the smile never faltering. "God...where the hell ya been, kid?"
Then Gerry's smile faded a bit as a silence hung in the air. Ginny cleared her throat. "Uh...daddy. Let's get him settled in. Then, maybe we can sit down and talk."
Bill glanced over to his daughter and then back to Gerry. "Yeah. Yeah, sure kiddo. Come on, we'll get you set in the guest room."
Gerry and Ginny exchanged a look. This was the part neither had really thought about in this whole plan. This would be the hard part.
Gerry stood at he helm of their ship, not entirely sure when it was they had crossed over through the nexus, but it had gotten warmer. He shed his wool coat and stared ahead as the land approached. Could it really have been this easy, after all these years? Was it really such a simple matter of being in the right place at the right time to get home? Ginny stepped up beside him, glancing up at her big brother. A bright smile crossed her lips as she took his arm in her's holding on tight as they rolled onward toward the docks.
"Welcome home, Big Brother." she said, turning those big blue eyes up at him. Home. This was not home. Hadn't been for a long time. But the smile on his sister's face, was enough to bring one to his. She rested her crimson head on his shoulder as he turned his gaze forward. This was gonna be a long trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose and Bill Finnegan were a simple couple. Now into their 60's, they were a solid couple. Bill, tall and broad much like his son. A little beer gut had worked its way to him over his later years, but he was still strong as a bear. His hair grey and thinning, thick glasses on his face. Rose was a tiny, frail-looking thing with big brown eyes and a kind face. Her long brown hair streaked with silver and perpetually in a pony tail. 19 years ago, they lived through a nightmare. Something no parent should ever have to face. When Gerry went, he took a piece of them with him. It took years before things got anywhere near normal again. It didn't help matters that their Daughter kept up with her pointless search, dredging up the memory they wished they could forget.
Gerry was gone and he was NEVER coming back.
Today, Rose was running around the place like a mad-woman, cleaning. Ginny was coming home for the holidays, and of course that meant an insane cleaning spree. For her, anyway. Bill sat in his recliner, an old war movie playing out on the screen, a beer in his hand. He glanced over in annoyance as she plugged in the vacuum and sighed loudly as she came nearer and nearer.
Over the sound of the vacuum, she said without looking, "Swear to god, Bill, you say one word about me blocking the TV, this thing's goin' up your backside sideways."
Bill opened his mouth to say something and she shot him a look. So, he just smiled politely and drank his beer.
"Will you get up off your ass, and go make sure the stove is on?"
"Aw! But...but..." He pointed at the TV almost petulantly, like he was clearly doing something important.
She gave him a withering look. "Spoiler alert, Bill. The Germans lose. Go check the oven."
"Ugh! Fine-uh! But because *I* want to." With a grumble he got to his feet and wandered into the kitchen, putting on a show like a disgruntled teenager. Rose smirked after him, going about her cleaning.
The bell chimed out it's merry little tune. "That would have to be Ginny." she thought.
"ROSE, GET THE DOOR!" Bill shouted from the kitchen.
"I'm getting the-"
"ROSE, THE DOORBELL!"
Rose bit her lip, staring in wide eyes annoyance at the kitchen as she heard him snickering. "Yeah, laugh it up. I make your food." she muttered, trudging over as the bell rang again. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, kid. Keep your pants on."
She opened the door, expecting to find a slender redheaded girl standing there. This was not what she found. She looked up...and up at the tall man before her. Well, he was a handsome fella. And those eyes...they looked so familiar.
Gerry stared wide-eyed, his mind going a mile a minute. He went to speak but no sound would come. Ginny stepped out from behind him. "Mom..."
Her mom looked to her a moment. "Gin...who..." She turned back to Gerry. Rose's heart dropped as she realized, her smile slowly falling. She stared up at him her mouth agape. "Oh my god." She said in a quiet voice, her eyes welling with tears.
"Hey, Mom." He managed in a tiny voice.
Rose suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down into a tight hug. She was unable to say anything at the moment, her voice catching in her throat as her body shook. Gerry's arms slowly wrapped around her as Ginny looked on, smiling through tears.
"My boy. My boy, my baby boy..." Rose muttered over and over again, clinging to him as if he might disappear again.
"HEY HON, I THINK I MIGHT BE BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN! SHOULD THERE BE SMOKE?!" came Bill's shout from the kitchen.
Rose sighed. He was luck she loved him. Bill leaned out from the doorway with a mischievous grin that would look familiar to anyone who knew Gerry. And there he found his wife, clinging to some strange man. And...Ginny. Oh no. Who was THIS meathead?
And why was Rose crying? Oh hell. Was Ginny engaged? Was this brick of a man going to be his son in law? Wait...no...Ginny wasn't into men.
Gerry glanced up to him and suddenly, it was like Bill was looking into a mirror, 40 years ago. He froze in place.
"...Gerry?" he managed. Rose reluctantly let go and looked back at her husband, the bliss on her face shining bright, though she sobbed.
Gerry couldn't help the grin the crossed his lips. "Dad." he gave his mother's shoulder a squeeze and stepped around her, the two men heading right for eachother. Ginny stepped up beside her mother and put an arm around her, a proud smile on her lips. The boys more slammed into an embrace than hugged. Bill laughed holding his son tight for the first time in 19 years. He pulled Gerry away, holding him out to look at him. "God...I thought I'd lost you, boy!" He looked him over a moment, before the smile came back and he grabbed him again.
Rose and Ginny made their way over. Rose placing a hand on her husbands shoulder as he finally stepped back, his big meaty hands taking Gerry by his cheeks. "Look at this guy! Rose, you see our boy here?!" Gerry couldn't help but laugh.
Rose smiled, clutching her husband and looking him over. "Yes. Yes I do."
Bill shook his head, the smile never faltering. "God...where the hell ya been, kid?"
Then Gerry's smile faded a bit as a silence hung in the air. Ginny cleared her throat. "Uh...daddy. Let's get him settled in. Then, maybe we can sit down and talk."
Bill glanced over to his daughter and then back to Gerry. "Yeah. Yeah, sure kiddo. Come on, we'll get you set in the guest room."
Gerry and Ginny exchanged a look. This was the part neither had really thought about in this whole plan. This would be the hard part.