"Now boarding all passengers."

  Tightly gripping the strap of his laptop bag, John ran for his gate as the attendant made her last call. Hastily, he handed his ticket to the uniformed individual at the podium, waited for him to hand it back, and made his way down the musty walkway toward the plane. He never was very good at allowing time for baggage check and security. What a spectacle he must have made, this huge mass of a man running full speed across an airport. He made the plane. That's what mattered. He checked his ticket stub and found his seat. After awhile, the scurry settled down and everyone found where they were supposed to be. The crew made their security speeches, the pilot briefed everyone on the weather ahead, and they were off.

  Aside from the chaos of actually making it in time, John enjoyed flying. Especially coach. Trying to socialize in a room full of people who know your net worth is always so depressing because you never know who is being honest with you. Coach was the great equalizer. there he was just some guy. Just some tall, dark haired, blue eyed Joe. A bit intimidating at first, but a good guy. People didn't get awestruck if he sat down next to them. Nobody cared how much money he made last year or what big deal he was working on. Nobody pitched him investment opportunities. While it was the louder part of the plane, it was a lot more peaceful at the same time. About halfway through the trip, the attendants made their way down the aisles with the beverage and snack carts. The tiny bottles of wine and peanuts were being dispersed, and John settled in for the remainder of the trip. The flight from Lagerstown Colorado to Plateaux Louisiana wasn't long, and this was quite possibly the last moment of peace he was going to get for awhile.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our descent into Plateaux International, please place your trays in their upright positions, fasten your seat belts and make sure your bags are under the seat in front of you or stowed in the overhead bins. Thank you for flying with us and enjoy the rest of your day".

  John awoke to the click of the microphone from the cockpit. He must have dozed off sometime ago. Arching his back and stretching his arms above his head, he stretched and let out a yawn. Landing didn't take too long. He waited for everyone on board to get off before he rose. Not because he wanted to wait so nobody would have to struggle around him, but because he bet dollars to doughnuts that Jayne showed up to pick him up herself. Last time she sent a car, he gave the guy 200 bucks and took a cab instead. He bent over and pulled a ball cap out of his laptop bag, put it on backwards and slipped a pair of sunglasses to the neck of his t shirt. As he rose to make his exit he took a deep breath and exhaled.

  "There's no place like home", he whispered as he made his way to the front of the aircraft.

  Jayne eagerly anticipated her brothers arrival. He always made her laugh and after everything that had happened lately, she could do with one. Seeing him on such short notice for such a terrible reason saddened her greatly but if anyone could find Jason, it was Johnny. Even when they were kids, playing hide and go seek was never a fair game because he always managed to find them. They blindfolded him a few times and even though he bumped into things a lot, he still made his way to wherever they were. Of course Mom would always yell about how he made a mess and Dad would always have to calm her down while Jayne took her siblings and slipped out of the room until it was over. For some reason, she didn't care for Johnny like the rest of the family did.

  Of everyone they were related to, Mom and Uncle Gill were the only two who seemed to dislike the middle Divine. Gill didn't care for anyone really. He was a bit of a germaphobe so he made a point to keep his distance from everyone. Especially a dirt covered kid. John was always good at making messes. Between tracking mud in the house and trying to win his mother's approval, John found his way into quite a few tight spots. He would make Mom and Dad breakfast in bed and while Dad found it sweet and adorable, Mom would start warning him not to spill anything on her new floors. This would make John nervous and he would trip, sending their carefully prepared meal all over the bed and as a result igniting her fury. He never did well when Mother pressured him. It's probably another reason why he moved away.

  Father was always looking for him after he and mother had their usual spats. When he was younger, he would try to assure him that mom loved him, she was just being firm. As they got older, his talks turned from uplifting messages and reminders of affection, to endurance and apologies. By the time he died, Dad was a shell of his former self. It was as if living with her sucked all the life out of him. Johnny couldn't handle things well after he died, so he moved away. And then Blake died. Jayne took a sharp intake of breath as she remembered her late husband. Oh, she missed him so much. Every time she saw their beautiful boys, her heart pained at his absence. Her and her siblings lives had been so muddled with death and strife these last ten years, she was amazed any of them kept it together.

  Lifting her sleeve to check her watch, she moved closer to the gate. This time of day she would usually be at work looking over contracts or at home with the twins. Nathan and Nolan were great children and they loved Mommy very much, but when Uncle John was around, she was nonexistent. As soon as he came through the door, they jumped to their tiny feet and ran to him. John would get down and sweep them up in a huge hug and they just held him so tightly. They would play for hours. More times than she could count, she would find them all napping under some complex tent fort in his room. He would make such a great father one day, if only he gave himself enough time off to meet the right girl.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Jayne visited him a few months ago while the kids were at camp. While she manned the helm at home base, John was basically the R&D department. Out of the three of them, he was the most outdoorsy. He was the guy with a Kayak in the living room and 4 wheelers in the garage. Whatever Jason made, Johnny was the first to test out. He landed in the hospital a few times as a result. One time he had broken his arm while repelling down a small cliff and when she visited him in the hospital, he was hysterical. He had his phone pinched in his neck, a full cast on his left arm, and was scribbling performance notes. He was actually analyzing the product while in the hospital for its failure!

  "I would rather it break on me, fix it, and keep it from hurting anyone else."

  People began to emerge from the walkway. Jayne straightened her hair, checked her face, and stood up straight. She needed to look strong. She needed to look in control of things. The way Johnny had always seen her. After all the press conferences, through all the interviews, if she cracked up now, he would know and he wouldn't be on his A game. If they were going to find their little brother, they needed John at his best. He knew the people to talk to. He knew the players in town, on both sides of the law. That would wait until morning though. by the time they got back to her house and he got through unpacking, they would have time for dinner and that was it. They had a lot to do first thing in the morning and she wasn't going to let him drag her into any of his "adventures". Jayne took a deep breath, and let it out slow as her brother finally emerged from the walkway.

  John walked out of the doors to the ramp and spotted Jay Jay immediately. Just as he had expected, she had her war face on. It was the same one she wore whenever she had a meeting or if the boys acted up. In this circumstance, he suspected it was more for his benefit than hers. He knew she must have been stressed beyond belief with everything. He walked to her, set his bag down and hugged her. All 5 foot 8 inches of her was surrounded in the biggest hug he had given her since she told him he was going to be an uncle. She needed to know she didn't have to shoulder all of this alone. He was here, and he was going to do everything in his power to make things ok again. Jayne wasn't the type to cry, but he could tell she wasn't far from it. “It's good to see you Jay Jay. Hope you haven't had to wait for too long”. He pulled away and leaned over to pick up his bag. “To tell you the truth, I didn't think I was gonna make it” he said with a grin. “Well,” Jayne crossed her arms and looked up at him with the most stern face she could muster “If you had missed that flight, you would have disappointed two very excited little boys who have just been chomping at the bit to see their Uncle.” John groaned. “ You told them? I wanted to surprise them.” they turned to leave for baggage claim. “I didn't mean to, Nathan had taped over the intercom and listened in from the dining room. Thank you, by the way for showing him that little trick.” She said sarcastically. John let out a loud laugh. When he saw the look on his sister's face, he quickly stopped and bowed his head. “ I'll have a talk with him.” They made the rest of their walk in silence.. Neither one of them letting the other see just how shook up by all of this they really were. And it was going to get worse before it got better.

  Even though it was Jayne who was the eldest, John always had to be “Johnny on the Spot” if her and the boys or Jason needed anything. She hated why he was here but she knew if anyone could sort this all out it was him. He may not be the most tactful in his problem solving, but he got results. She remembered a boyfriend she had that Johnny had to “inspire” to leave Jayne alone. Peter Scholtz. Good lord that guy was awful. He was "cute", by Jaynes standards anyway, and rich so of course mother pressured her to entertain his interest in her. She obliged, and as a result came home with a dirty skirt and a busted lip one night. When their parents questioned her about it, she said her skirt caught in the car door and she fell and landed face first. Jayne always hated disappointing their parents. Technically she didn't lie. She just omitted the part about Peter getting handsy as they were driving. He said the higher the mph gauge went the higher his hand was going. First stoplight they hit, she got out of the car and tripped, causing her to hit the car in the next lane. When she told John what happened, he drove to Peters Lacrosse practice, grabbed him by the shirt, and after one good pop on the nose and a rather colorful verbal warning, Peter and Jayne were no more. While Father was stoic and gruff as always when confronted with tense situations, Mother almost mourned the relationship. It wasn't until Peter came over to apologize that she understood what happened. She felt terrible for putting Jayne in a position like that. It was one of the very few times that she ever expressed remorse. Last any of them had heard about Peter, his fortune had gone up his nose and he managed the Hangry Hippo, a local gentleman’s establishment. You didn't do well in Plateaux if you made an enemy of a Divine, especially their mother.

  After that happened, Mom was super critical of any of her children's love interests. Jason was always “too young”, Johnny only dated “painted whores”, and nobody was good enough for Jayne. When she first introduced them all to the man who would become her late husband and the boys father, her nose shot up in the air so far, Jayne swore she felt wind shear. Her heart pained at the thought of Blake. They were together since Jayne was 17 years old. They went to college together and got married young. He died when she was 5 months pregnant with the twins. The doctors said he had a massive myocardial infarction after coming home from helping John move. She knew Johnny felt responsible, but he shouldn't have. He was in perfect health. There was no reason to expect something to happen. It was just some freak occurrence. John threw himself into his work after that. He wouldn't let anyone do anything for him. He hadn't had a serious relationship in a few years and the women he did fancy, usually were interested in him for the wrong reasons. Unlike her and Jason, he managed all of his own affairs. He took care of most of his own property, Sylvia did his shopping, but he cooked his own meals. Sylvia did send his laundry out. Poor man couldn't operate a washer to save his life.

  The baggage claim sign came into view as they made their way through the airport. There were more people here so they quickened their pace and tried to look as unapproachable as possible. Neither could handle being bombarded with questions right now. There were no answers they could give. The papers had been washed with speculation as it was. At least Mom hadn't issued a press release yet. Usually one to soak up the limelight in situations like this, it was odd she hadn't made a statement regarding the disappearance of her youngest child. That, among many other things, raised many questions for John. Questions he would get an answer to.