7•Come fly with me [3]

Claire and Manny are in mid-conversation at the kitchen table, the plate of cookies between them. Claire has the coffee pot next to her cup, and Manny has a milk carton next to his plastic cup.

Claire:"Alex and I can't just disagree. She has to turn everything into a fight."

Manny:"Hmm. A strong, independent woman. Sounds like somebody else I know."

Claire:"Yeah, but I was never hostile. Like this whole dress thing. I never had that trouble with Haley."

Manny:"Maybe Alex doesn't want to compete

with her big sister. Maybe she's trying to create her own identity. Put her in a dress and she disappears."

Claire:"For one afternoon."

Manny:"I would not give up being myself for even one second."

Manny takes a break as he thought of something.

Manny:"Plus, there's also the fact that there are people who tell Alex she is the perfect way she is"

Claire takes a moment to consider this. Manny takes a sip of his milk.

Claire:"You know, Manny, sometimes I forget

you're only ten-years-old."

He lowers his cup, revealing a milk moustache.

Manny:"And three quarters."

Claire's phone rings.

Claire:"Hello…What!….Oh my god…okay"

She got off the phone heading upstairs as manny waited at the bottom of the stairs

Manny:"What's happening?"

Claire:"Jay just knocked out Will and Phil with a toy plane, open the door to be ready for them"

Claire yelled from upstairs as Manny opened it and came to the sight of his mom and Alex entering who carries a garment bag.

Gloria:"Hello! We're back."

Claire:"Hey, guys, how'd it go?"

Alex and Gloria looked at manny confused but Claire comes down with a first aid kit

Gloria:"It was fun but what's going on"

Manny:"Jay is coming with Will and Phil"

Gloria nods as she looks toward Alex with her staring back at her. Alex just smiles with Gloria as Claire spoke up

Claire:"Alex, I've been thinking about it, and it's not the end of the world if you don't wear a dress to the wedding."

Alex:"It's all right, I bought one."

Alex shows off the black garment bag that contained her dress as Claire looks at manny with him just patting her arm

Jay comes in, helping a drugged Will with Phil slowly walking behind, During the following, Jay sets him on the couch.

Alex:"What happened?"

Jay:"Just a little accident. Nothing big."

Will:"I was in a plane crash."

Phil:"A plane crashed into me"

Claire:"Will somebody tell me what happened!?"

Claire examines a bruise or some cuts on Phil as she went towards Will who had a bump on his forehead while a cut on his nose and on his cheeks

Jay:"We were threading the needle and somebody moved causing that to Will."

Phil:"I moved because it was heading right to my face"

Jay:"No It wasn't your just mad because Will got a nickname instead of you"

Phil:"Why remind me, Poor Will"

The family looks at will who was laid on the couch with him calling out Alex name while touching Claire face thinking she was her.

Will:"Alex, Alex, Alex"

They looked at her with suspicion as Gloria just smirked at her. Alex kneels down beside him.

Alex:"Yeah?"

Hearing her voice, Will hands started to touch randomly until they grabbed something soft, which was one of her hand

Will:"Alex…I was in a plane crash…Heal me"

The family widens their eyes as Claire looks at Alex to see with a shock expression but then a warm smile.Phil just groaned out as his friend chose Alex instead of him.

Phil:"It should've been me…why didn't you chose me Will."

Phil cried out as Claire intently watched Alex as she had a small smile.

Jay:"That's the painkiller talking, he's a little loopy."

Will:"Haa, your so pretty and funny"

Will laughs as his other hand started to play with her hair. He was clearing feeling the effects of the painkillers

Gloria:"How bad is it?"

Claire:"Well aside from a huge bump, nothing seems broken."

Gloria:"That seems good"

Jay nodded as well but when the topic of how was Phil he didn't pay attention

Jay:"Well Phil smashed it in half on the ground, but I think-"

Claire:"Dad is this really the time?"

The adults minus Phil and Manny, were standing up and discussing

Jay:"Look, I told him not to move and he did which made Will take the hit. Plus he did that to himself"

Claire:"We're you aiming for him in the first place?"

Jay:"No, it just that-"

Claire:"I knew it, you were aiming for him. It was just like last time when you ran over his foot?"

Manny:"You ran over his foot?"

Jay:"It was an accident."

Claire:"You went out of your way. We could all see the tire marks on the lawn --"

Jay:"I had just quit smoking --"

Phil groans as Will laughs, clearly the painkillers were making miracles. Phil didn't take the painkillers, telling Jay that he could handle it but so far, he was in pain.

Will:"Water..."

Phil:"Water"

We follow Claire and Jay into the kitchen as Claire gets two bottle of water from the fridge.

Jay:"It wasn't my fault."

Claire:"For phill no but for will, I honestly thought you were liking him"

Jay:"I do like him, he's a good guy I even took his side when he wanted to ask out Alex…."

Claire stop in her tracks as she turned around, staring at Jay as he just looked to the side

Claire:"What?"

Jay:"Nothing, besides what happened to Phil wasn't my fault so I have no reason to apologize to him in the first place.

Clair:"Oh it is, If you wouldn't have aimed for him the in the first place, he wouldn't have to do something to make Will like that beside I've seen you thread the needle a million times. You never miss."

Jay took a cookie

Jay:"I know. I must be getting old."

Claire:"Why don't you admit it. You never liked Phil which caused you to do something like that, causing Will to walk in the crossfire and put that down. You do not get a cookie."

Jay:"I like Phil…. It's just that sometimes he tries too hard, you know? It's kind of... irritating. With Will it just came natural you know?"

Gloria walks in with Alex who had a disheveled hair.

Claire:"Maybe, but Phil tries too hard because you never make any kind of effort. In sixteen years, have you ever once told him you liked him like you did to Will who you know for like 2 weeks?"

Alex walks up to her as she took one of water bottles that was placed on the counter and headed out

Jay:"Okay Me and Will clicked but for Phil…Maybe not in those exact words --"

Claire:"You haven't said it in any words! You know how that makes me feel?"

Claire goes to the couch and gives Phil water during the following she sees Alex helping Will drink his water

Gloria was shocked

Gloria:"You never told your son you love him?"

Jay:"Whoa, whoa, when did we jump to love? And he's not technically my son."

Gloria:"Does that mean you don't love Manny?"

Jay:"Sure I do. Believe me, while I was in the park, I really wished Manny was there."

Gloria:"Why, so you could fly a plane into

his head like you did to Will?"

Jay:"No, I would never do that to him"

Jay walks into the living room as he saw Phil on seat as Will laid out on the couch.

Suddenly Claire walks in front of him

Clair:"Okay, Dad, thanks for bringing Phil home and thanks for bringing me an injured child. I found one of your little flaps in his shirt."

She hands him a piece of plastic.

Jay:"It's actually called an aileron.It controls the horizontal --"

Claire:"Yeah, that's what's important right now. Bye, Dad."

Jay takes a deep breath, looks over at Will and then at Phill, then marches over to him.

Jay:"Hey, Will"

Will:"Jay."

Jay:"I just want you to know, I'm sorry.

It doesn't matter if I missed, or Phill moved causing you to be in this state-"

Phil:"I moved because it was heading for my face, it was a flight or fight situation"

Jay:"Either way. I just want to say...I'm sorry Will for letting you get into the cross fire of my bitterness and Phil, I'm honestly surprised you broke something, that I love, that caused one of the people you care about to get hurt so…I like you."

Phil is stunned. And moved. Will laughed as he continued to play with Alex Hair as Claire surprisingly stood still and just watched.

Phil:"Really?"

Jay nods imperceptibly.

Jay:"Yeah."

Phil:"Well…What do you like about me? "

Phil mumbles the first part as he looked at Jay.

Jay:"Well... you're a nice guy, you try real hard, you're a good dad and you…protect? the ones you care about?"

Phil started to get emotional as he nodded while sniffing

Phil:"I am a good dad. So are you. Come here."

He reaches for a hug. Jay wants to be dead, but they hug. Jay tries to pull away, but Phil isn't letting go.

Phil:"This feels so right."

Jay:"Okie dokie..."

Phil then feels Jay's arm

Phil:"You're very muscular."

Cameron and Mitchell enter, carrying Lily as they carried olives and other things they bought. They notice the scene on the chair.

Cameron:"What's going on?"

Will:"I was in a plane crash"

Will says funnily as Alex was kneeled beside him, getting her fingers wiggled and played by.

Phil:"A plane crashed into me"

Cameron:"Are they okay?"

Gloria:"Yeah, Will has it worse though but thankfully he's gonna be okay with a small bump, but Jay is telling Phil how much he loves him."

Mitchell and Cameron are a little put out as Jay hasn't said anything nice to his boyfriend

Cameron:"Oh. That's nice for Phil."

Mitchell:"Yeah, really nice. ever said anything

boyfriend..."

Cameron:"It's okay."

Mitchell:"No, it's not okay."

Gloria:"Mitchell is right. You get in that hug."

Jay:"Are you kidding me?"

Gloria:"Jay!"

Jay let out a deep breath as he just jerked his head

Jay:"Come on, Cam."

Cameron goes and joins the hug.

Gloria:"Say it..."

Jay:"I like you too, Cam."

Phil:"What do you like about him?"

Jay:"Aw, jeez….Gloria, no..."

We see that Gloria is taking a picture with her phone. Mitchell is also capturing the moment on a new video camera.

Gloria:"Manny, get in there."

Manny goes to join the hug.

Phil:"Doesn't he have big arms? Cameron feel Jay's arm."

Cameron:"He really does."

Gloria:"Hold still."

Unfortunately for Claire, their hug was to much as they tipped over the chair Phil was sitting at which caused them to fall foward with Jay leg kicking Alex back as she was suddenly pushed on to Will neck.

Will:"Hug!"

Will yelled out as Gloria and Mitchell laughed while recording and taking pictures.

Will put his arms around her as it made her to slightly stand up with half of her body on top of his chest.

Claire:"Alex."

Alex:"It's just a hug mom…a very hard, muscular, wonderful smell hug…"

Alex started to blush as she had her hands on his chest trying to get off. She momentarily closes her eyes but that was cut off by Claire arms around her stomach and trying to get her off.

Claire:"okay time to let go"

Alex:"I am"

Claire:"How strong is a 13 year old!"

Everyone started to laugh as Mitchell recorded the whole thing with Gloria taking many photos