I've had the time of my life - NJDS roadtrip
I've had the time of my life - NJDS roadtrip
Summary: Alison is getting married in Florida, air traffic controllers are on strike, can only mean one thing...roadtrip.
Rating: K+
Spoilers: maybe if you squint a little.
It was Friday night, and for the Humphrey and Van der Woodsen families, it meant one thing, dinner and weekly 'family' night. Rufus had made a decision that after three years of marriage, he could finally trust his wife Lily with his most prized possession, the secret to his famous chili. While Rufus attempted to demonstrate the finer points of cooking to his spouse in the kitchen, the rest of the family started arriving in the living room.
'Dad, Lily?' questioned Dan entering the loft carrying a few boxes under his arm, placing them carefully on the sofa, as he walked into the kitchen in search of his parents, followed closely by his girlfriend Serena turning her nose at pungent smell already wafting through the house, hugging her brother Eric as he made his way downstairs.
The chili slowly cooking in the kitchen, the family's attention was drawn to the board games laying on the sofa.
Twenty minutes into Monopoly, Chuck was bankrupt and Jenny owned half of the grid.
'This is rigged' pronounced a annoyed Chuck, as he rolled a six which landed him straight to jail.
The game progressed somewhat calmly, as negotiations for property took place.
Jenny and Chuck vying for Central Park, the one card that Nate held. Rufus shaking his head, clearly remembering to add ' No trading of sexual favors in negotiations' next time he reads out the rules. Nate gave up and put the card in the middle unable to choose between the offers made by his best friend and girlfriend.
As Dan rolled the dice, the topic of discussion changed to their mother's upcoming nuptials.
' so have you booked your tickets yet?' Asked a concerned Rufus, air traffic controllers in Florida had planned to go on strike the week of the wedding.
' No, we're going to have to play it by ear' he said looking at his sister Jenny, sat in the arms of her boyfriend. Jenny had decided against going, the last minute nature of her mother's announcement and her own concerns about her soon to be stepfather had played a major part.
Dan had been pretty insistent on going, while he too had issues with the man his mother was to marry, Alison had asked Dan to give a small speech, and well Dan always jumped at the opportunity to write.
After the chili had been eaten and monopoly seemingly being abandoned. Jenny and Serena discussing a shopping trip the following day, and at the prospect of being left by their girlfriends all day, Dan and Nate had decided that their soccer skills were suffering thanks to college, and made plans to practice. Rufus and Lily calling it a night and Chuck off in the kitchen on the phone to his fiancée who was seemingly stuck in Paris for the last few days.
Dan arrived at the Archibald residence at 10 AM the next morning to find the door opened by the half asleep pajama clad inhabitant, motioning for him to come in while shielding his eye's from the sun. Taking a seat in the den turning on Nate's wii as he waited for Nate to change.
' Hey Nate, is Jenny ok? She's taking mom's wedding a little hard' Asked Dan pausing the game when Nate returned. He'd found a new respect for Nate Archibald, and although the idea of him and Jenny took some getting used to, he realized that if that night at the palace didn't happen something else would have, and they would have always found their way to each other, they were just meant to be.
'She has issues with it, and I'm surprised you don't' He replied taking a seat ' as much as I love her, and know how much she'll end up regretting it, I have to respect her decision' he continued taking a deep breath. Nate was always a little jealous of their strong family bond the Humphrey's had. Rufus loved his kids so much, despite what they got up to, unlike his own father, who had set out to mould Nate in his image and often against his will.
Dan nodded sadly, he and his mother had drifted apart somewhat of late, but she was still his mother and he had to be there for her.
'You wanna play?' he asked as Nate picked up the other Wii controller on the coffee table in front of him.
Dan started the game and Nate silently hoped winning at wii sports wasn't a hereditary Humphrey trait.
Serena and Jenny returned to Nate's house later in the evening, to find that apparently Soccer practice had been cancelled finding instead both Dan and Nate on the sofa dressed in sweats wii controllers in hand.
'I see Soccer was fruitful' stated Jenny, retrieving a slice of pizza from the box on the table, receiving only glares in response to her laughter.
'Who's winning' Asked Serena, setting down her many shopping bags, and taking a perch on the arm of the leather sofa nearest Dan.
' It's a tie' explained Dan his eye's not leaving the screen, furiously tugging his controller trying to guide his virtual soccer team to victory.
' Next goal wins' added Nate, fumbling with his own controller.
'Loser pays for dinner' replied Dan, raising his hands in frustration as his goal was saved.
Jenny's cell phone rang, and she moved to the kitchen to answer it, sighing as she saw the name on the caller ID.
' Hey Mom' She answered casually.
Moments later Nate walked into the kitchen picking up the cordless, his expression turning from annoyance to worry as he saw Jenny leaning against the island starring at her feet, a phone pressed to her ear.
' I have to go, I'll speak to you soon, love you too' She ended the call as she felt a pair of arms encircling her waist.
' I have to go' She told him pulling herself closer to him and looking him in the eyes, he nodded knowingly replying
'I hope you know that I'm coming too right?' with a kiss to the top of her head.
Meanwhile, the strike in Florida had gotten worse, and Dan began to panic.
' Trains are fully booked, the only option is to drive' Explained Dan staring up from his phone.
' Yay road trip' exclaimed Serena, who had only just passed her driving test, and was itching to drive.
' Yeah well, its 18 hours, and with rest breaks we'd have to leave on Thursday' Dan explained, slightly worried for his safety at the thought of Serena loose on the open road;
'Whets up' Asked Jenny coming back into the room putting her cell phone back in her pocket.
'Amtrak's full.. we have to drive' Huffed Dan.
'Good because you have two more drivers' She smiled and Dan hugged her.
'Wait two..?' He asked, then met the gaze across the room. A second reason for him to worry.
---------------------------
Thursday morning had arrived, they had planned to meet at 7AM to beat the city traffic heading out of the city. Dan, Serena and Jenny waited outside the Brooklyn loft, loading suitcases into the Black SUV they had rented. All being under 25, they had used Nate's connections to secure a suitable car.
6.30 had rolled around, they had planned to leave by 7, and Dan began glancing at his watch. He had called a meeting a few days previously, to explain the route he had spent days planning, but the sight of the color coded map and 8 sets of MapQuest directions were too much to take, and the rest of them soon lost the will to pay attention.
'Doesn't the car have GPS?' Asked Nate having dipped into the bag of chips he had brought with him, Jenny and Serena looking away preparing themselves for the wrath of the MapQuest Monster.
' Boy its lucky that your pretty Archibald' started Dan, the vein in his forehead had started to enlarge rapidly.
Pretty soon a limo pulled up and Nate jumped out carrying his suit bag and a smallish carryon bag.
'Your actually on time' Blinked Dan, as Nate put his things in the back, 'and relatively lightly packed, well in comparison with some people' he continued pointed at the large suitcases Jenny and Serena were taking, and earning a playful slap on the head by Serena as she got in the car.
Driving out of the city wasn't a problem, Dan had taped a copy of the directions on the dashboard, and programmed the GPS, a laminated copy of the directions was also packed in his suitcase.
'So what did everyone bring?' Asked Jenny sitting in the back already looking bored.
'Well I am driving, and planned the route' Replied Dan horning at a crazy cab driver in front of them.
'I got entertainment' Stated Serena pulling out her pink iPod, and connecting it to dock in the back.
All eye's now turned to Nate who was sitting up front looking outside the window.
'What me?' The penny dropped ' I did come on time didn't I?' A few heads shook
'It is lucky your pretty' replied Jenny, she really did wonder sometimes how he'd gotten into Columbia , ' Anyway I've got a ton of snacks for the trip' She laughed, thinking how Serena and herself had visited the local Wal-Mart to buy things the night before. Actually, they had forgotten, and the only thing open at 1 AM was the 24 hour Wal-Mart 15 miles away, but of course Dan didn't need to know. Serena pressed play on her iPod once finding the appropriate playlist she had made, and they left the city, the beginning chords of I've had the time of my life audible from outside the car.
Summary: Alison is getting married in Florida, air traffic controllers are on strike, can only mean one thing...roadtrip.
Rating: K+
Spoilers: maybe if you squint a little.
It was Friday night, and for the Humphrey and Van der Woodsen families, it meant one thing, dinner and weekly 'family' night. Rufus had made a decision that after three years of marriage, he could finally trust his wife Lily with his most prized possession, the secret to his famous chili. While Rufus attempted to demonstrate the finer points of cooking to his spouse in the kitchen, the rest of the family started arriving in the living room.
'Dad, Lily?' questioned Dan entering the loft carrying a few boxes under his arm, placing them carefully on the sofa, as he walked into the kitchen in search of his parents, followed closely by his girlfriend Serena turning her nose at pungent smell already wafting through the house, hugging her brother Eric as he made his way downstairs.
The chili slowly cooking in the kitchen, the family's attention was drawn to the board games laying on the sofa.
Twenty minutes into Monopoly, Chuck was bankrupt and Jenny owned half of the grid.
'This is rigged' pronounced a annoyed Chuck, as he rolled a six which landed him straight to jail.
The game progressed somewhat calmly, as negotiations for property took place.
Jenny and Chuck vying for Central Park, the one card that Nate held. Rufus shaking his head, clearly remembering to add ' No trading of sexual favors in negotiations' next time he reads out the rules. Nate gave up and put the card in the middle unable to choose between the offers made by his best friend and girlfriend.
As Dan rolled the dice, the topic of discussion changed to their mother's upcoming nuptials.
' so have you booked your tickets yet?' Asked a concerned Rufus, air traffic controllers in Florida had planned to go on strike the week of the wedding.
' No, we're going to have to play it by ear' he said looking at his sister Jenny, sat in the arms of her boyfriend. Jenny had decided against going, the last minute nature of her mother's announcement and her own concerns about her soon to be stepfather had played a major part.
Dan had been pretty insistent on going, while he too had issues with the man his mother was to marry, Alison had asked Dan to give a small speech, and well Dan always jumped at the opportunity to write.
After the chili had been eaten and monopoly seemingly being abandoned. Jenny and Serena discussing a shopping trip the following day, and at the prospect of being left by their girlfriends all day, Dan and Nate had decided that their soccer skills were suffering thanks to college, and made plans to practice. Rufus and Lily calling it a night and Chuck off in the kitchen on the phone to his fiancée who was seemingly stuck in Paris for the last few days.
Dan arrived at the Archibald residence at 10 AM the next morning to find the door opened by the half asleep pajama clad inhabitant, motioning for him to come in while shielding his eye's from the sun. Taking a seat in the den turning on Nate's wii as he waited for Nate to change.
' Hey Nate, is Jenny ok? She's taking mom's wedding a little hard' Asked Dan pausing the game when Nate returned. He'd found a new respect for Nate Archibald, and although the idea of him and Jenny took some getting used to, he realized that if that night at the palace didn't happen something else would have, and they would have always found their way to each other, they were just meant to be.
'She has issues with it, and I'm surprised you don't' He replied taking a seat ' as much as I love her, and know how much she'll end up regretting it, I have to respect her decision' he continued taking a deep breath. Nate was always a little jealous of their strong family bond the Humphrey's had. Rufus loved his kids so much, despite what they got up to, unlike his own father, who had set out to mould Nate in his image and often against his will.
Dan nodded sadly, he and his mother had drifted apart somewhat of late, but she was still his mother and he had to be there for her.
'You wanna play?' he asked as Nate picked up the other Wii controller on the coffee table in front of him.
Dan started the game and Nate silently hoped winning at wii sports wasn't a hereditary Humphrey trait.
Serena and Jenny returned to Nate's house later in the evening, to find that apparently Soccer practice had been cancelled finding instead both Dan and Nate on the sofa dressed in sweats wii controllers in hand.
'I see Soccer was fruitful' stated Jenny, retrieving a slice of pizza from the box on the table, receiving only glares in response to her laughter.
'Who's winning' Asked Serena, setting down her many shopping bags, and taking a perch on the arm of the leather sofa nearest Dan.
' It's a tie' explained Dan his eye's not leaving the screen, furiously tugging his controller trying to guide his virtual soccer team to victory.
' Next goal wins' added Nate, fumbling with his own controller.
'Loser pays for dinner' replied Dan, raising his hands in frustration as his goal was saved.
Jenny's cell phone rang, and she moved to the kitchen to answer it, sighing as she saw the name on the caller ID.
' Hey Mom' She answered casually.
Moments later Nate walked into the kitchen picking up the cordless, his expression turning from annoyance to worry as he saw Jenny leaning against the island starring at her feet, a phone pressed to her ear.
' I have to go, I'll speak to you soon, love you too' She ended the call as she felt a pair of arms encircling her waist.
' I have to go' She told him pulling herself closer to him and looking him in the eyes, he nodded knowingly replying
'I hope you know that I'm coming too right?' with a kiss to the top of her head.
Meanwhile, the strike in Florida had gotten worse, and Dan began to panic.
' Trains are fully booked, the only option is to drive' Explained Dan staring up from his phone.
' Yay road trip' exclaimed Serena, who had only just passed her driving test, and was itching to drive.
' Yeah well, its 18 hours, and with rest breaks we'd have to leave on Thursday' Dan explained, slightly worried for his safety at the thought of Serena loose on the open road;
'Whets up' Asked Jenny coming back into the room putting her cell phone back in her pocket.
'Amtrak's full.. we have to drive' Huffed Dan.
'Good because you have two more drivers' She smiled and Dan hugged her.
'Wait two..?' He asked, then met the gaze across the room. A second reason for him to worry.
---------------------------
Thursday morning had arrived, they had planned to meet at 7AM to beat the city traffic heading out of the city. Dan, Serena and Jenny waited outside the Brooklyn loft, loading suitcases into the Black SUV they had rented. All being under 25, they had used Nate's connections to secure a suitable car.
6.30 had rolled around, they had planned to leave by 7, and Dan began glancing at his watch. He had called a meeting a few days previously, to explain the route he had spent days planning, but the sight of the color coded map and 8 sets of MapQuest directions were too much to take, and the rest of them soon lost the will to pay attention.
'Doesn't the car have GPS?' Asked Nate having dipped into the bag of chips he had brought with him, Jenny and Serena looking away preparing themselves for the wrath of the MapQuest Monster.
' Boy its lucky that your pretty Archibald' started Dan, the vein in his forehead had started to enlarge rapidly.
Pretty soon a limo pulled up and Nate jumped out carrying his suit bag and a smallish carryon bag.
'Your actually on time' Blinked Dan, as Nate put his things in the back, 'and relatively lightly packed, well in comparison with some people' he continued pointed at the large suitcases Jenny and Serena were taking, and earning a playful slap on the head by Serena as she got in the car.
Driving out of the city wasn't a problem, Dan had taped a copy of the directions on the dashboard, and programmed the GPS, a laminated copy of the directions was also packed in his suitcase.
'So what did everyone bring?' Asked Jenny sitting in the back already looking bored.
'Well I am driving, and planned the route' Replied Dan horning at a crazy cab driver in front of them.
'I got entertainment' Stated Serena pulling out her pink iPod, and connecting it to dock in the back.
All eye's now turned to Nate who was sitting up front looking outside the window.
'What me?' The penny dropped ' I did come on time didn't I?' A few heads shook
'It is lucky your pretty' replied Jenny, she really did wonder sometimes how he'd gotten into Columbia , ' Anyway I've got a ton of snacks for the trip' She laughed, thinking how Serena and herself had visited the local Wal-Mart to buy things the night before. Actually, they had forgotten, and the only thing open at 1 AM was the 24 hour Wal-Mart 15 miles away, but of course Dan didn't need to know. Serena pressed play on her iPod once finding the appropriate playlist she had made, and they left the city, the beginning chords of I've had the time of my life audible from outside the car.