Gia had learned over the years to not let things get to her.  When she was younger, many people told her that she needed to learn how to relax.  As she got older, she found ways to calm herself and not get wound up about things that were out of her control.

This was not one of those moments.

She paced the bedroom in her apartment and stared at the half full suitcase sitting on her bed.  Packing wasn’t the issue; it’s what she was packing for that was making her on edge.

Frankie whined at her from his bed in the corner.  Seeing his owner so out of sorts made him anxious too.  It was needless to say that the atmosphere in the Mason apartment was a tense one.

Gia picked up a t-shirt and studied it for a moment before throwing it in the suitcase only to take it back out a few seconds later.  Normally, she wasn’t picky about what she chose to wear.  Jeans and t-shirts were her usual uniform and her main rule about wardrobe was comfort.  This felt different.  She felt like she had to present herself in the best light possible because everyone was going to be judging her.  She half expected the executioner to meet her as she stepped off the plane.

A sound behind her broke her from her thoughts and she turned to see Justin watching her from the doorway.

“Uh-oh, you’re wearing your Varitek jersey, that means something’s bothering you.”  He reached out to tug on the shoulder of the Red Sox attire before bringing her into his embrace.

“I would think it was obvious,” she retorted, her voice muffled by his shoulder.  She pulled her head back to look up at him.  “I feel like I’m heading to my death or something.”

He chuckled at her comment before propelling her toward the bed.  Justin sat her down before moving to her closet and picking out clothing and folding it into the suitcase.

“You’re not heading to your death.  I can’t guarantee that this trip will be fun, but I’ll be there to hold your hand and we’ll come out of this unscathed.”  He placed a pair of jeans into the bag before heading over to her dresser.

“Are you about to go through my underwear drawer?”  She chose not to reply to his comment about being unscathed, if only because she didn’t want to start a fight.

“You’re too wound up to pack; I’m just trying to help.”  He shot her a Cheshire grin before opening the drawer and pulling out a pair of lacy panties and spinning them on his index finger.

“I would think you would bypass that drawer all together and make me go without for the week.”

She watched an eyebrow rise as he thought the comment over.  “Now that you mention it….” 

Gia shot up from the bed and grabbed the underwear from his hand.  She shoved him out of the way before taking on the task herself.  “You’re a pervert.”

“But you love me for it.”  He prompted, and she glanced at him before nodding.

“Mmm…against my better judgment.” Gia chided and laughed when Justin’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“You wound me, lady.”  He placed his hand to his chest before staggering to the bed and falling over.  Gia’s laughter rang out through the room as she put the last of her clothing in the suitcase and closed the bag.  She moved the item onto the floor before joining Justin on the bed.

“I’m glad you’re coming with me.”  The mood took a somber turn with her words.

“Well…I was thinking-“

“Does Trace know you’re doing that without him there to help?”  Justin shot her a dirty look before going on.

“I know my Momma really wants to see you, and I think that after this trip home you’re going to need a little vacation of sorts.  So I was thinking that we extend our trip and spend a week in Tennessee after we leave Boston.”

Gia thought the proposition over before smiling at him.

“That sounds wonderful.  School just ended for the summer so I don’t have to tutor anymore kids, and I got someone to cover my dog walking duties for me.”

“Good.  My mom will be pleased.  Grandma wants to see you too, she still thinks you need to gain weight and she’s making it her personal mission.  She also keeps asking me when I’m going to give her great grand children…so…”

Gia’s eyes widened and Justin laughed.  He pulled her over to him before placing a sound kiss on her lips.  He squeezed her tightly to him and pecked her lips a couple of times before pulling back a little.

“Now, how about going to my place and helping me pack?”

“Lazy ass.”

~*~

The plane started to make its decent toward Logan Airport and Gia started to feel butterflies flutter in her stomach.

The last time she had come home it had been for a less than happy occasion.  Before that, the only time she had been home was when she was getting ready to leave for the West Coast.  Her mother hadn’t been happy that she was leaving, and it had made it worse when Gia refused to come home.  She expected that this trip wasn’t going to change in her mother’s opinion.

She felt Justin squeeze her hand and she attempted to give him a smile.

“We can get off now.”

Gia noticed that the plane was almost empty.  She flushed a little but stood with Justin and the couple started to make their way off of the plane.

“After we get our luggage we have to get a rental.  I didn’t want my sister to have to find someone to watch the kids and I figured we would want a car of our own anyway.”

Justin nodded and leaned over to kiss her temple.

“Relax, I’m right here with you.”  She attempted another smile but didn’t say anything.

Justin was worried about her.  He knew what had happened and he understood her apprehension about being here again, but he wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to handle this yet.

He was also worried about their feeble relationship.  Things had been going really well for them lately and he knew that they were headed in a good direction, but he wasn’t sure how this trip was going to affect things.  Gia always seemed to be different after an encounter with her mother.

They managed to get their luggage and secure a car without much hassle.  Justin was a little worried about not being with security, but the people of Boston seemed a little preoccupied with their own worries to notice a pop star in their airport.

“I’ll drive.  They’ve changed the ways out of here so many times I don’t think I could tell you.”  Gia informed Justin as they started out of the airport parking lot.

After twenty minutes of fighting traffic in the city the made it to open highway and were going at a cruising speed.

“How long will it take to get there…and where is there?”

“It’ll be another forty minutes or so, depending on traffic.  I booked us a hotel room; it’s near my sister’s place in Manchester.  I didn’t want to impose on Meg, and I wanted some space of our own too.”

Justin’s eyebrows rose suggestively and Gia couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re such a pervert, Jut.”

“But you love me for it.”  He grinned at her and she smirked at him before responding.

“Yeah, against my better judgment.”