Kermit looked back at Savannah and saw that there were tears in her eyes. "Scarlett??" he asked, concerned.

She sniffled. "Oh, that is just so...beautiful...."

Kermit glanced around him, assuming he'd missed something, but nothing was out of the ordinary. "What's beautiful?" he asked.

"What Jim said, silly," she said, as if he were an idiot. "He just told you that he loves you, too."

"What???" Usually Kermit could follow Savannah's train of thought, but this time he quickly admitted that she had lost him.

She wiped her eyes. "That wave. That meant he loved you, too!"

Kermit stared at her. "Sweetheart, I think the stress of this week has finally gotten to you."

"Oh, Kermit, can't you FEEL it? The way he looked at you, waved at YOU, put on your sunglasses...." She sniffled again with emotion.

Kermit, shaking his head, put an arm around her again. "I think I'd better get you out of the sun. Come on, Scarlett...."

"Oh, stop! Honestly-!" Savannah stormed at him. "Men!"

*Women,* Kermit thought, escorting her into the house.

Peter, drafted into babysitting duty while the in-laws were escorted to the airport, had walked outside when Mrs. March rewound the video tape for the fourth time. Nice memory, but enough was enough.

Finally, the in-laws were going to be on their way. Evidently, the past had been put away and Savannah's relationship with her parents repaired. Peter was happy for them. A house full of people, all with equally infuriating temprements, who were basically good. All had behaved badly at one degree or another. But they loved one another. The one thing that matters in a family. Taking another gulp from his beer, he found Billy March at his side.

"Hey...uh...instant replay was too much for me, too." Billy knew what he wanted to say...but after all the barbs he'd thrown, he wasn't sure how to begin.

Fighting his annoyance, Peter nodded. "For me, too. I'm crazy 'bout the two of them but I saw the live version."

*Dive in head first, boy!* Billy sat down his bottle and faced his sister's friend. "Peter....Kermit tells me that you killed the bastard who hurt my sister."

Startled, Peter answered, "Yes...just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Also said you walked five miles on a busted knee to save her and Kat after the car accident."

Peter didn't need any thanks. Kermit and his ladies were as much his family as if they shared blood. He'd willingly do it all again. Just a better job of it this time.

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without her to whip me into shape!" Gratitude expressed, he plunged onward. "I've been a real shit to you since I got here. Chasin' your lady and all."

"You're welcome, but Jody is NOT my lady, Billy."

Not able to supress a grin at the enthusiastic denial, he countered, "Yeah, right. Not to hear Van tell it."

Peter raised an eyebrow and sneeked a peek at Savannah. *What has she been telling people?*

"Kinda looked like it to me, too," Billy continued with a twinkle in his eye. "Well, anyway...thought you'd like to know that nothing happened the other night. Not for lack of trying on my part, I'll have you know!"

"Not that it matters one way or the other...but, thanks."

"Sure." Unable to resist just one more jab, he tossed it over his shoulder as he returned to his family. "Guess young, talented, and good-lookin' just ain't her type!"

"Assho-" Peter's retort was cut off by the slamming of the door as the Marches finally left. He found a strange relief in Billy's revelation. He wasn't happy that it mattered. Or was he?

*****

Donald March cut a pleasant figure through the crowded airport. His grandaughter in one arm and his daughter hanging on the other. Now that they had rebuilt their relationship, it would be hard as hell to turn them loose. At least this time, they had an open door between them.

It would have been wiser to leave Kat at home with her unlikely babysitter. The group certainly had a handful with loads of luggage and presents and farewells to offer in the middle of a bustling airport. When the time came to kiss his grandaughter goodbye in the backyard, Donald simply couldn't do it. Not yet. Babysitter/detective Peter Caine had been released and Baby Kat rode to the airport anchored between tearful grandparents.

Donald had reached an understanding with that cryptic man his daughter had married. When Kermit had looked him in the eye and vowed to be there for his daughter and her child, he could believe it. Odd as he was, Donald knew that THAT man didn't give his word lightly. A load was lifted from the elder March's shoulders.

"You will just simply have to come to Memphis the first chance ya'll get, Kermit, dear." Mrs. March was happily enjoying Kermit Griffin's charm. Escorting her through the airport, he graciously chatted with his wife's mother. One week ago, these two in such close proximity would have likely exploded and devastated the entire city.

"And I, dear lady," he crooned, patting her hand on his arm, "will be more than delighted to enjoy brunch with you at the Peabody."

Billy March was trailing behind them, rolling his eyes in disgust. *I think I liked them better when they hated each other.* He didn't notice Kermit's body begin to tense.

Even as Kermit Griffin was involved in charming his mother-in-law, he caught a disturbing sight over her shoulder. His smuggler from a week ago. Swapping suitcases in practiced tango with another greasy, Armani-clad man. *Asshole made bail!* Slaps in the face like this were enough to disillusion cops off the force. Disillusionment had played with him long ago. All illusions shattered, Kermit Griffin merely took one occurrence at a time. Handling justice in his own way.

The smuggler turned to glide away with his prize, only to be stopped by another thug from the same family. *The deal's gone sour,* he thought, shifting into cop mode. There was bumping and thugs reaching under jackets.

By this time, Kermit and Betsy were directly behind Savannah and the rest of the group. "Excuse me, Betsy," he said quietly, disentangling her arm from his. "Savannah."

She knew that tone. Saw him reaching into his back for his gun. He had seen something and needed her cooperation.

Much to the shock of his relatives, Kermit already had his gun in his hand. Held discreetly pressed into his leg. "Go around the corner. Now. Stay down."

Urging her father and family around the wall, she instructed, "Do what he says. Now, Daddy." Savannah, through sheer force of will, dragged her befuddled family to some seats where they scrunched down. Donald and Betsy looked around; Kermit had vanished.

*How does he DO that?* Betsy thought.

"Should I alert airport security?" Donald asked quietly.

It was a temptation, but Savannah knew Kermit. If he wanted security notified, he would do it himself. In situations like this, he needed to have his intructions obeyed to the letter. And Kermit had told them to stay down. "No, Daddy," she told him. "He'll handle it. Just stay down."

*****

His family safe, Kermit strode purposefully through the airport. Kermit trusted Savannah to do what he told her so could free his mind completely to the task at hand. He walked casually but quickly beside a luggage rack carrier as it made its way to the terminal. The airport steward didn't even notice; Kermit was just one more passenger in a crowded airport terminal.

The smuggler, Biggs by name, was still in bargaining mode. Kermit could not hear what was being said but knew that he was losing ground. Soon, he would start shooting. Biggs was too stupid, Kermit reasoned, to notice the three men covering their front man. Even if the head thug was killed, Biggs would be shot from three different angles and probably a lot of innocent people along with them.

*Keep 'im talking,* Kermit prayed. This would be difficult to do by himself. The only saving grace he had was that the three others covering Mr. Armani-suit were under some sort of cover, enabling Kermit to sneak up on them and take them out and no one would see.

Number one was behind the corner of the men's restroom. Kermit took him out easily and quickly dragged him into an empty stall.

Number two, behind the Hertz Rent-a-Car stall, was on the alert but still, he could not guard against every person walking by him. He was pretending to ruffle in his briefcase for something while holding a gun on the situation. Kermit casually walked by, spun, and hit the man over the head. Whispering "I'm a cop" to the rental person, he layed the thug down inside the rental counter.

After showing his badge briefly, Kermit did a double-take and his heart leaped into his throat. Number three was gone! Kermit cursed to himself. The man had probably seen Kermit's attack on number two and was going for reinforcements. Kermit didn't have much time.

Running now, as if he was late for a flight, he made a turn at the last second and ran right into the two men arguing, knocking them both to the ground.

Kermit, adjusting his fall accordingly, rolled and came up to his feet, his gun pointed at them. "Drop it!!! I said, DROP IT!!!" The two men carefully got their feet and Kermit tightened his grip on the Desert Eagle. "Police! Drop it!" he warned again. The two men reached back slowly, grabbed their guns and placed them on the floor. "If I have to search you," Kermit said, "you'll be very sorry." After another few seconds, they both reached for their other backup weapon, one a small pistol and the other a switchblade and laid them on the ground.

Kermit gestured them to their feet. *Something's wrong,* he thought, frowning. Mr. Armani was too chipper. Holding the gun, he scanned the area. He could hear that airport security was on its way but nothing else-

A soft sound made Kermit look up to see a hurtling body coming straight for him! He stepped back, still keeping the smugglers covered, as the body thumped to the ground. *The balcony!* Kermit cursed. He'd never thought that someone would be up there. Looking down at the body, he noticed that the man had a bullethole square in the middle of his forehead. *Another player?* Kermit thought as airport security ran in. It dawned on him who it was and he nodded to himself as he displayed his badge for the airport cops and gave instructions as to the smugglers.

After all the mess was over, Kermit felt two eyes bore into him from the back. Instead of going to Savannah, he turned to see Vanessa Bently, looking beautiful and deadly, as usual. "You took out Number three?" he asked.

"And the balcony assassin," she smiled. "You're getting sloppy, Griffin."

Kermit sighed. He had to admit that she was right on that count. If Vanessa hadn't covered for him, he'd be dead now. "A momentary lapse," he retorted.

"You have any more of them and I'd better stick around full-time to...." She slid a sensuous look over his form, "be your...bodyguard!"

"I owe you one," he said, accepting his failure. "Thanks. Good-bye."

"Not so fast," Vanessa smiled. "I want to say good-bye to the little woman."

*****

"Savannah," Donald March spoke in a hushed tone as they watched the situation clean-up underway, "does this happen often?"

With a smile of relief and a wink across the room to her husband, she replied, "A time or two, Daddy. You should have seen what happened on the way to our hotel room on our wedding night."

Met by the shocked expressions of his entire family, Kermit Griffin arrived to halt another trip down memory lane. "Another story for another time." Reaching out to shake his father-in-laws's hand, he reminded, "You don't want to miss your flight."

Donald submitted to the redirection -- reluctantly. He returned his grandchild to her mother and farewell hugs were exchanged. Betsy March embraced Savannah then Kermit. "Promise to come to Memphis for a weekend soon?"

"You have my word." Then peering over his shades at his wife, he added, "And I promise to keep this wicked daughter of yours out of trouble."

As the March clan disappeared down the ramp, Kermit returned to help the muddle of uniforms sort through the bodies and bad men. Savannah sat down to pursue a familiar cop's wife pass time -- waiting.

"Would you like some company?" Vanessa dropped down beside the current Mrs. Griffin. Kermit had graciously saved her hours of grilling by the local cops when he identified her as an undercover operative.

In reply, Savannah grabbed her in a warm embrace. "Vanessa, I saw what you did. Thank you so much."

More than a little bit shocked, but pleased at the same time, she patted the younger woman. "More than happy to help, dear. He can be so inefficient at times. It's a miracle he isn't Swiss cheese by now." Pausing breifly to retreive a card from her purse, Vanessa added her own thanks. "I believe I owe you a bit of gratitude myself."

"Whatever for?"

"Being so gracious when you didn't have to be and for helping with ....my son." Shaking off the ensuing emotion, Vanessa handed Savannah the card. "This is my private number. You can reach me at any time. Feel free to call on me if you ever need my help." Glancing over at her ex, she laughed, "But you'd better keep this our little secret. Might give the mighty frog a heartattack if he thinks we're getting too friendly."

"Well, it wouldn't do for him to get too comfortable, would it?" Savannah leaned over to whisper in Vanessa's ear as Kermit returned. Strolling casually but staring intently.

"Vanessa, don't you have a flight to catch or do you just like loitering in airports?" He stood still as both women rose to greet him. Sensing trouble, Kermit filled his hands with the first weapon he could find....his daughter. Kat babbled and dug her hand into his pocket.

Vanessa lifted her carry on bag and circled behind him. Leaning over, she cooed into his very tense ear, "Be nicer to this one than you were to me or I'll have to come back here and instruct you.....Honey Buns."

Before he could fire off a reply, she was gone. Taking in his wife's electric grin, he tersely asked, "What?!"

"You're blushing."

"No I'm not!"

"Oh no? Well then you must be having hot flashes. Maybe it's the change of life, Honey B_"

"Don't go there, Savannah!" he snapped, pointing an irritable finger at his wife and heading toward the exit.

Kat's babbling suddenly took a more organized form. "Hun-Bun-Hun-Bun-Hun-Bun!"

Savannah nearly doubled over in laughter. Kermit merely looked Heavenward and questioned the ceiling. "God save me from the women in my life." He gathered his giggling wife under his other arm and headed for home. Still amazed to have survived the week relatively unscathed.

The End

Next Story: Till Death Do Us Part

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