La Serenissima

We Met In Venice

Okay guys, this is the last chapter.

JFK Airport, New York City. Terminal 1, Flight 7617, Alitalia Airlines

Security at JFK airport was always a bitch. Always, always, always. Her flight was at 8:47 p.m. and it was 7:45 right now. That meant her flight was boarding and if she didn't race across the terminal to gate nine, which was all the way down the corridor, she was going to miss it. She counted back from ten as her things came out of the security belt and quickly grabbed them all, shoes included, and scooped them into her arms.

Ally had talked with her bosses after Trish had yelled at them. She loved her best friend, but snapping at her bosses, who had just promoted her and gave her a huge pay increase, was not what she wanted. In the midst of Trish telling them that she was flying out to Venice that day and all the who's, why's, and when's, Ally cut her off, speaking kindly and softly to them all. Thankfully, they were great bosses and let her have a few days off. Especially since she was going back to Italy on a whim.

Slipping the flats onto her feet, she zigzagged her way in between all the other frequent flyers, who were taking their old sweet time getting to and from gates to baggage claim and the food court. They were frustrating her. Didn't they know she was on a mission here? She had to get on this plane. To Venice. To him. She didn't have any time to take her time walking to the gate. She needed to be in on the plane, in her seat and eating the entire supply of free peanuts the craft was carrying.

Wiping her hair out of her face, Ally pulled her bag over her body and bolted for it. She hadn't checked any bags and after packing just anything that was in her drawers at her apartment into a spare bag, was off to the airport in a taxi that Trish was holding up for her. Spotting her gate just up ahead and a small line of people boarding, Ally pulled out her ticket and double checked her seat number. She had no idea how much the ticket cost - Trish had done everything - and had no idea of how or when she'd pay her back, but she was still thanking her lucky stars for a friend like her. Where else would you find a Trish de la Rosa these days?

"Just in time," the check in desk attendant smiled down at her and double checked her ticket. With just one swipe and a line of green, she was checked in and was prepared to run down the hallway and onto the plane...but then she was met with an even longer line than the one getting through security.

This was good...and bad. Good because now she could overanalyze this whole thing and bad because she really just wanted to be in her seat, stuffing peanuts in her mouth and drinking all the coffee she could on their way to Venice. It was an overnight flight too. The coffee plus the salty snack would give her even more time to think about everything she wanted to say to Austin before she crashed and burned. She wanted to know why Venice, why now, and why he couldn't have just picked up the phone. New York could be just as romantic as Venice was...that's what she was telling herself anyhow.

The line moved slow and she was thinking about how the hell he was actually getting to the tiny island he told the world he was going to. Maybe he had Benedetto on speed dial and was pulling in a favor and if that was the case...how would she get there? She wasn't exactly allowed to rent her own boat, ever since getting all those tickets getting to him at the docks. Maybe she could pull in a favor at the consulate...not that asking for a few days off suddenly wasn't a big enough favor. Ally looked down at her phone, tempted to call Gianna for an idea when it went off.

"Please tell me you are on the plane." Trish's voice echoed on the other end.

"Almost. Still on the bridge."

"Good enough for me. I was really worried you wouldn't make it, considering you were procrastinating enough all afternoon."

Ally rolled her eyes as she stepped onto the plane and pulled out the ticket she had stuffed in her pocket, glancing at the seat number once again. 12K. Wait, 12K? "Trish, you got me in business class? How much did this cost you?"