so long - t.s.h [sequel to pinky promises]

[six]

The rest of the week was still a bit awkward, to say the least. Even though you'd argued, it hadn't really changed or solved anything, and you were still hurt. Of course, you managed to keep yourself together when Maggie was around, but when she wasn't, all bets were off. You didn't want to be upset with Tom, but it was going to take time — and action on Tom's behalf — to heal it. Slowly but surely, things were getting better as Tom made more of an effort to love you the way that you needed.

The three of you were still planning to go on the short weekend getaway with Tom's family, but you weren't exactly looking forward to it. Not only because of the whole situation with Amber, but because you were still feeling sick; you assumed it was because of all the stress and anxiety you were feeling. But you'd agreed to go with, and you didn't want to be rude. And anyway, maybe a weekend away would be good for you and Tom.

Tom and Maggie did end up going to meet with Amber before you all went away for the weekend. It didn't make you feel great, and you were still uneasy about the whole situation, but you felt like Tom was starting to understand where you were coming from a little more. And, anyway, the whole thing was about Maggie.

Still, though, when you'd kissed Maggie and Tom goodbye as they left to spend time with Amber, you felt nauseous. Tom promised you they'd be back within two hours and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before heading out the door. It wasn't that you didn't trust Tom; it was Amber that you didn't trust. You knew she was still up to something and you didn't trust her to not try to win Tom back.

When Maggie and Tom got back from spending time with Amber, the two of you put Maggie to bed, and then talked for a few hours. He made sure to tell you everything that had happened, and the two of you went to bed cuddled up, feeling a little better about the whole thing. Everything wasn't completely better, but you could tell that Tom was trying and with the weekend finally approaching, you were ready to put it all behind you for a while.

The Holland's "cabin" that they used every so often was incredibly nice. It was basically just another house. There were enough rooms for everybody and enough space that you could all gather together. It'd been a long time since you'd been there, and the memories of your childhood, spending weekends away with your best friend, all came back to you as the car pulled up, and Tom shut it off.

Tom's family welcomed the three of you inside, and Maggie immediately ran off in search of her uncles to play with, which allowed for you and Tom to drag your suitcases up the stairs to the bedroom that had always been Tom's. It was pretty small, but the two of you had shared the room before, so you could make do, even with Maggie in the room. As long as you told her it was going to be a sleepover, she would be more than happy to fall asleep in her sleeping bag.

When you walked back out to the main area, you found Maggie climbing all over Tom's brothers, as if they were a jungle gym and giggling wildly as she did so, causing you to try not to laugh as you called out to her, "Be careful with your uncles, Mags. You don't want to break them!" Tom let out a little laugh and kissed your cheek, going into the kitchen to find Sam, who was the one cooking for the family. You stayed behind to keep an eye on Maggie, and to talk to Nikki a bit before the meal was ready.

In the kitchen, Sam was grilling Tom about the situation from when he'd been over the previous weekend, "So... what happened?"

Tom shrugged, pursing his lips, "We talked about it after you left. I don't... I don't know that anything is resolved, but things have been a little better. Hopefully, the weekend will help. We can forget about everything." By 'everything,' Tom meant everyone. He didn't have any reason to talk about Amber, nor did he want to.

"I hope you guys figure everything out," Sam nodded, dropping the topic as he could tell Tom didn't want to talk about it any longer.

Not long later, the dinner was finally ready, and everyone was sitting around the table. Just like last time, you were sitting between Tom and Maggie. Once again, you weren't feeling too well, but you chalked it up to being hungry and stressed, so you filled your plate with food anyways. All you could do was eat your food slowly as everyone chatted around you.