I still haven't made enough money to buy these characters, just borrowed them for a while. No offense intended to the incredibly talented Ms. Drescher or Mr. Jacobson.

Special thanks to my incredible proofer and sounding board, and my favorite pirate wench for all her help, and for giving me a kick in the seat of the pants when I slow down.

Heading Home

Chapter Eight

The newlyweds were awakened by the sound of someone pounding on the door to their suite. Fran pulled a pillow over her head, while Max slowly got up and reached for his robe. "Who the bloody hell could that be at..." he looked over at the clock, "oh, at nine in the morning?"

"Fran! Fra-an!" The sound of Sylvia Fine's voice echoed through the hallway. She knocked again on her daughter's door. "Fran, Max, you're missing breakfast!"

Max opened the door to greet his mother in law. "Sylvia, good morning. Fran's still sleeping".

Sylvia walked over to the bed and pulled the pillow from her daughter's face. "No, she's not. She's just pretending. She did this every morning before school. Everyone is waiting downstairs. Well, not everyone, Niles and Miss Babcock aren't there yet."

Fran rolled over and opened one eye. "Ma, go down and order, we'll be down in a few minutes. What time does your flight leave?"

"We have to be at the airport by noon, so you need to get your touchas out of bed!"

"G'nug, Ma! Now, get out so we can get ready!" She pulled the sheet over her head.

Max led Sylvia to the door and assured her that he'd have Fran downstairs quickly, then returned to the bed to rouse his wife. "Alright, Darling, she's gone. How about a shower?" He pulled back the covers and scooped his wife into his arms, then carried her to the bathroom.

Across the hall, the noise in the hall had stirred C.C. from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on the figure sleeping on her sofa. "NILES! What are you doing in my room?"

He opened his eyes and got adjusted to his surroundings. "You don't remember? Not any of it?"

"I remember having a drink downstairs, and then I went to a bar with a couple of the men I met. I must have come up here to take a nap before the wedding. Oh, what time is it? If I miss the wedding, Maxwell will never forgive me!"

"It's 9:00 in the morning, the day after the wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield are across the hall enjoying their honeymoon." He looked at her leather bustier on the floor and continued. "You went to Pat O'Brien's bar and made a total ass out of yourself. You got drunk with the college boys, then, when I tried to bring you back here, you dragged me into several bars and danced half the night away."

"I did NO such thing!"

"Oh, yeah, then how do you explain THIS?" He reached down and picked up her bustier. It still smelled of her perfume.

"I didn't...I couldn't have. OH, I bet you had fun, telling everyone in Fran's family what a fool I was."

He walked over and took her hand. "I've told no one. I don't intend on telling anyone, who YOU tell, is YOUR business. Mr. Sheffield is aware you missed the wedding; I went to find you, to make sure you didn't get into trouble. You asked me to stay with you last night, so I slept on your sofa."

She looked into his deep blue eyes. "Thank you, Niles. I guess when it comes right down to it, you've always been a good friend to me."

"Why don't we get our showers, and I'll meet you back here and escort you to breakfast." C.C. nodded and headed towards the bathroom. Niles hurried to his room to get ready.

Everyone met in the dining room around 10:00. Max and Niles exchanged looks when Niles showed up escorting C.C. to breakfast. The families sat around and talked about the wedding, and the plans for when they all were back in New York. Fran seemed the most excited to go home. She missed her children, and couldn't wait to get home to them. The time passed quickly, and soon it was time to load everyone into the limo for the trip back to the airport. Fran, Val and Sylvia hugged and cried, and Max had to pry them apart. Max held his wife tightly as the limo was loaded with luggage and her family. They stood watching the limo until it turned the corner and was out of sight.

"Oh, Max, I'll never forget this. This was the most thoughtful, romantic wedding a girl could have asked for!"

"I'm so glad you were surprised, Darling! Niles and I have been planning this since I proposed. I was so afraid you'd call home and someone would slip. What do you say we go upstairs and get packed, check out, and take one last walk around the French Quarter? I'm sure there are a few things we missed."

"Sounds wonderful! I'm having so much fun here, but, seeing the family, makes me homesick at the same time. I can't wait to get back to our home and our kids."

"Tomorrow we meet with the couple that's taking the boat back to New York. We can leave the next day, if you like. That will give you a couple of days to settle in before the children come home."

"That would be great! I love our boat, but I love our home, too...and I can't wait to make love to my husband in OUR bed."

They finished packing and checking out of the hotel, and then took a long walk through the French Quarter. They stopped at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, now a bar, it was once the blacksmith shop of the pirate Jean Lafitte. That evening, they took a Haunted History tour, and saw where all the local ghosts lived. By the time they got back to the boat, they were exhausted.

That night their lovemaking was slower and more tender than ever before. Each of them made extra sure they had completely pleased the other. Afterwards, they fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. The next morning, Max woke first, and put on coffee for his wife. Once it was ready, he woke her with a steaming cup in hand, and a promise of one more trip to Waffle House for her favorite pecan waffles. They helped each other shower and dress, and then decided to walk the half mile to breakfast. When they returned, they found Dave the Diver waiting for them at the boat. Max introduced himself, and then introduced his wife. Fran smiled at this handsome man. He looked like Antonio Banderas. Dark skin, long dark hair, pulled into a ponytail. He wore a gold shackle and a diamond stud in his ear. When she questioned him about the shackle, he pointed to a redhead walking down the dock with what looked like a red fox. "My wife bought the earrings for me. She picked out the shackle because it was different, and the diamond was a hint." He introduced his wife, and then introduced the dog. "Her name's Zorra Roja, it means red fox in Spanish. She is the only dog adopted from the shelter to a boat." Fran reached down to pet Zorra, who licked her affectionately. Dave looked down at the sight. "She likes beautiful women". Max snapped his head up at that comment, while Fran just smiled. The diver's wife playfully smacked his arm "Would you behave! Sorry, I can't take him anywhere!"

The diver tried to recover quickly "Well, that's how Zorra picked you, honey".

His wife shook her head. "Nice save." She looked at Fran. "Sorry, he's such a flirt! That's how I met him in the first place back in high school. I was dating his best friend...and he kept flirting with me. Years later, we ended up together."

Fran smiled. "That's so romantic. It took Max and me a few years to realize we belonged together, too." She looked at her husband and blew him a kiss. He decided not to comment on that one, as he knew it would only get him in trouble.

The diver got busy cleaning the bottom of the boat, while the girls sat and sipped iced tea on the deck of the boat. Max was inside packing up as much as they could for the trip home. The girls decided that the four of them would go to dinner for a last night celebration. A friend of theirs was singing at a local restaurant, so the girls decided that the boys would love to go listen.

They met back at the boat later that afternoon, and then headed over to The Dock, where they listened to Joe Bennett. He sings much like Jimmy Buffet, writing his own tropical sounding music. They spent the evening dancing and singing along with his music. Fran liked the songs so well, that Max bought both Joe's CDs for her, and they bought his Pirates of the Vieux Carre t-shirt for Brighton. After dinner, the two couples headed back to the marina, and Max turned over the boat keys to Dave and his wife. Then the Sheffields spent their last night on their boat in Slidell.

They got up early the next morning, and headed for the airport. Fran was tearful at leaving, but Max assured her that this would be a place they would bring the kids for vacations for years to come. The flight home was uneventful, and they arrived at La Guardia ahead of schedule. They had two days to relax and spend some time alone as husband and wife before the children returned from camp. When the children arrived, their parents called them into the living room to tell them of the good news. There would be no more nannies in the house, just the family. They all went to dinner to celebrate, and Fran and Max gave the children all the gifts they'd brought for them, and showed them the pictures. The children went to bed that night dreaming of New Orleans, and their parents of their new lives together as a family.

THE END!