The Plan: An Ikeaverse Honeymoon Installment
Title: The Plan
Rating: T
Word Count: 1175
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: First of a five part arc detailing the beginning of the Adamas' cross country roadtrip: Bill is a careful planner....
A/N: Written for the lovely afrakaday for her birthday.
A/N2: Many thanks to lanalucy for the beta and brainstorming.
Bill sat poring over the maps and websites (Laura had finally convinced him to join the 21st century, as she put it) to implement their plan. He had everything spread out on their dining room table, and he had the cabin to himself for the evening, since Laura was busy with the school’s end-of-year activities. It was the perfect time to plan.
Earlier that week, he’d asked Laura to make a list of places she wanted to see. That list sat at the top of his pile. It included: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Washington D.C, New Orleans, Seattle.
Since they were determined to drive the whole way - his insistence - they’d be doing a lot of driving across the country. It made the most sense to begin traveling along the east coast before trekking across to the west coast.
On one of his maps, he started tracing a line from New York down the coast, over to Louisiana, and across the country, up to Arizona, Wyoming, and stopping in Washington. Then, he drew a more direct line from Washington to New York. It would be a learning experience for both of them: They’d see some of what their nation had to offer, and they’d learn just how well they got along in close quarters for an extended period of time.
He aligned the preliminary map with the road atlas. It looked like they’d be doing a lot of highway and freeway driving, but they could take some time for country roads and back roads too.
Laura would insist on bringing her smartphone and gps, which he would use - he’d learned not to resist his fiancee’s commands - although he’d heard horror stories about those devices leading people into lakes and ditches. That wouldn’t happen to them, though. He would rely on his sense of direction over one of those devices any day, but as a support, it would be fine.
He grabbed his notebook and started jotting down road names and directions. The atlas had been updated that year and included locations and names of various attractions, restaurants, and hotels. Knowing Laura’s proclivities, he expected they wouldn’t leave until the afternoon the first day, which meant they would probably just be making it out of New York. He circled the hotel they’d likely be nearest to that night and wrote down their number to make the reservations. One day down, 29 to go.
He visualized their second day: Continental breakfast, shower (likely together). There weren’t many attractions in that area, so they wouldn’t linger long. She would start to get grumpy around noon (and so would he) because of hunger. If they drove for three hours at 55 mph, (which was conservative) that would put them...he identified the town, Old New Castle, complete with a nearby quaint little restaurant (The Kosy Korner) that Laura would love and an antique shop: They could use some accent pieces for their cabin, after all.
He grinned at the thought of antiquing during their honeymoon. His moment of reflection was cut off with a slammed door and boisterous laughter. He looked up to see Zak and Kara walking toward the table, laughing and high-fiving each other. “What’s going on, you two?”
“Not much, Old Man,” Kara said. She shrugged. “Your ex decided we were ‘too loud,’ so she threw us out.”
Zak nodded as she spoke. “She was...you know how she gets, dad.”
Oh, he knew all right. Worse than Saul on a bender. “I’m glad you’re both here. Safe.”
Zak snorted. “No thanks to this one’s driving,” he said, pointing at Kara.
“Hey! I’m an excellent driver.”
Bill rubbed his stubble. “I’d like to think I taught you well, Starbuck. You weren’t being reckless, were you?”
“Just the way you showed me, sir.”
Bill chuckled. “Then I’m sure you were fine.”
Zak gestured to the cluttered table. “You planning that trip?”
“Yeah. It’s a lot of work, I’ll tell you.”
“How many days you plan so far?” Kara asked.
“I’m up to lunch on day two.”
She pat his shoulder in mock consolation. “You have a lot of work ahead of you. You’re spending more time on this than planning the wedding.”
Bill grinned. “The wedding’s Laura’s job. She made it clear all I’m supposed to do is show up.”
Zak laughed. “I guess you’ll count on her to tell you where and when.”
Kara snorted at that. “Can you imagine? You get the date wrong. And Laura’s standing there.” She shot Bill her devious look. “I’d hate to be you if that happened, Old Man.”
“Understood. I’d hate to be me then, too.” He shook that nightmare away. One bad wedding had been enough. “What are you two gonna do?”
Kara shrugged. “We might watch a movie or something.”
“That sounds tame for you. Did you have dinner yet?” They shook their heads. “Neither did I. This is as good a spot for a break as any. Let’s eat.” He moved into the kitchen. “How’s sandwiches?”
He and Laura made a habit of stocking their fridge for the frequent guests in their home.
“Sounds good, Dad.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Laura walked through the front door. She saw a light coming from their dining room. “Honey, you still awake?” She asked.
“In here.”
She tossed her bag on the coffee table and entered the dining room, finding her fiance sitting hunched over...documents. She stood behind him. “You still at it?”
He grunted. “I have about a week planned.”
She leaned down to kiss his head. “That’s good.”
“We had some visitors, too. Zak’s staying the night. Kara just left.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Sounds like you had quite an evening. Why don’t you pack it in?”
“M’kay. The coffee’s starting to lose its effect.” He yawned.
She pat his arm. “Come on, Bill.”
He gathered everything into a neat pile. Then he took Laura’s hand as she led him to the master bathroom.
They prepared for sleep at their his and her sinks. She finished brushing her teeth and watched him as he brushed and brushed.
“What?” He asked with a mouth full of toothpaste.
She grinned. “The dentist must love your teeth.”
He spit into the sink. “I’ll have you know he thinks I brush too hard. Hurt my gums.”
She laughed. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“And what do you say to that?”
He stepped away from his sink and leaned near hers. It was a familiar dance. “I say he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And my gums can handle it.”
She giggled. “Of course they can, Bill.”
He kissed her, and the merits of his hygiene obsession were made clear once more. He smelled and tasted...good.
They broke the kiss, and Laura said, “I fully endorse your dental regimen, honey.”
He took her hand and led her into their bedroom, stripped down and climbed into bed. She spooned around him and sighed with the sudden onslaught of exhaustion. “Good night, honey.”
“Love ya, Laura.”
Next Installment
Rating: T
Word Count: 1175
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: First of a five part arc detailing the beginning of the Adamas' cross country roadtrip: Bill is a careful planner....
A/N: Written for the lovely afrakaday for her birthday.
A/N2: Many thanks to lanalucy for the beta and brainstorming.
Bill sat poring over the maps and websites (Laura had finally convinced him to join the 21st century, as she put it) to implement their plan. He had everything spread out on their dining room table, and he had the cabin to himself for the evening, since Laura was busy with the school’s end-of-year activities. It was the perfect time to plan.
Earlier that week, he’d asked Laura to make a list of places she wanted to see. That list sat at the top of his pile. It included: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Washington D.C, New Orleans, Seattle.
Since they were determined to drive the whole way - his insistence - they’d be doing a lot of driving across the country. It made the most sense to begin traveling along the east coast before trekking across to the west coast.
On one of his maps, he started tracing a line from New York down the coast, over to Louisiana, and across the country, up to Arizona, Wyoming, and stopping in Washington. Then, he drew a more direct line from Washington to New York. It would be a learning experience for both of them: They’d see some of what their nation had to offer, and they’d learn just how well they got along in close quarters for an extended period of time.
He aligned the preliminary map with the road atlas. It looked like they’d be doing a lot of highway and freeway driving, but they could take some time for country roads and back roads too.
Laura would insist on bringing her smartphone and gps, which he would use - he’d learned not to resist his fiancee’s commands - although he’d heard horror stories about those devices leading people into lakes and ditches. That wouldn’t happen to them, though. He would rely on his sense of direction over one of those devices any day, but as a support, it would be fine.
He grabbed his notebook and started jotting down road names and directions. The atlas had been updated that year and included locations and names of various attractions, restaurants, and hotels. Knowing Laura’s proclivities, he expected they wouldn’t leave until the afternoon the first day, which meant they would probably just be making it out of New York. He circled the hotel they’d likely be nearest to that night and wrote down their number to make the reservations. One day down, 29 to go.
He visualized their second day: Continental breakfast, shower (likely together). There weren’t many attractions in that area, so they wouldn’t linger long. She would start to get grumpy around noon (and so would he) because of hunger. If they drove for three hours at 55 mph, (which was conservative) that would put them...he identified the town, Old New Castle, complete with a nearby quaint little restaurant (The Kosy Korner) that Laura would love and an antique shop: They could use some accent pieces for their cabin, after all.
He grinned at the thought of antiquing during their honeymoon. His moment of reflection was cut off with a slammed door and boisterous laughter. He looked up to see Zak and Kara walking toward the table, laughing and high-fiving each other. “What’s going on, you two?”
“Not much, Old Man,” Kara said. She shrugged. “Your ex decided we were ‘too loud,’ so she threw us out.”
Zak nodded as she spoke. “She was...you know how she gets, dad.”
Oh, he knew all right. Worse than Saul on a bender. “I’m glad you’re both here. Safe.”
Zak snorted. “No thanks to this one’s driving,” he said, pointing at Kara.
“Hey! I’m an excellent driver.”
Bill rubbed his stubble. “I’d like to think I taught you well, Starbuck. You weren’t being reckless, were you?”
“Just the way you showed me, sir.”
Bill chuckled. “Then I’m sure you were fine.”
Zak gestured to the cluttered table. “You planning that trip?”
“Yeah. It’s a lot of work, I’ll tell you.”
“How many days you plan so far?” Kara asked.
“I’m up to lunch on day two.”
She pat his shoulder in mock consolation. “You have a lot of work ahead of you. You’re spending more time on this than planning the wedding.”
Bill grinned. “The wedding’s Laura’s job. She made it clear all I’m supposed to do is show up.”
Zak laughed. “I guess you’ll count on her to tell you where and when.”
Kara snorted at that. “Can you imagine? You get the date wrong. And Laura’s standing there.” She shot Bill her devious look. “I’d hate to be you if that happened, Old Man.”
“Understood. I’d hate to be me then, too.” He shook that nightmare away. One bad wedding had been enough. “What are you two gonna do?”
Kara shrugged. “We might watch a movie or something.”
“That sounds tame for you. Did you have dinner yet?” They shook their heads. “Neither did I. This is as good a spot for a break as any. Let’s eat.” He moved into the kitchen. “How’s sandwiches?”
He and Laura made a habit of stocking their fridge for the frequent guests in their home.
“Sounds good, Dad.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Laura walked through the front door. She saw a light coming from their dining room. “Honey, you still awake?” She asked.
“In here.”
She tossed her bag on the coffee table and entered the dining room, finding her fiance sitting hunched over...documents. She stood behind him. “You still at it?”
He grunted. “I have about a week planned.”
She leaned down to kiss his head. “That’s good.”
“We had some visitors, too. Zak’s staying the night. Kara just left.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Sounds like you had quite an evening. Why don’t you pack it in?”
“M’kay. The coffee’s starting to lose its effect.” He yawned.
She pat his arm. “Come on, Bill.”
He gathered everything into a neat pile. Then he took Laura’s hand as she led him to the master bathroom.
They prepared for sleep at their his and her sinks. She finished brushing her teeth and watched him as he brushed and brushed.
“What?” He asked with a mouth full of toothpaste.
She grinned. “The dentist must love your teeth.”
He spit into the sink. “I’ll have you know he thinks I brush too hard. Hurt my gums.”
She laughed. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“And what do you say to that?”
He stepped away from his sink and leaned near hers. It was a familiar dance. “I say he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And my gums can handle it.”
She giggled. “Of course they can, Bill.”
He kissed her, and the merits of his hygiene obsession were made clear once more. He smelled and tasted...good.
They broke the kiss, and Laura said, “I fully endorse your dental regimen, honey.”
He took her hand and led her into their bedroom, stripped down and climbed into bed. She spooned around him and sighed with the sudden onslaught of exhaustion. “Good night, honey.”
“Love ya, Laura.”
Next Installment