All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson)

Subject: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Sat Aug 22, 2020 1:31 pm

The autumn had turned ever more cold as the offices of Jackson Blake became a haven for those who had been shut out of America since May. Victoria hadn't really needed to ask Jackson after they'd seen the protests growing across the country, and with it, the inevitability of families being forced apart. If America had not been tough on it's border control before, it was nothing compared to the new level of strictness that could be found now.

As families started to be pulled apart by the new laws, with children often being separated from their children due to citizenship queries, Victoria had taken her stance on that early on. The legal councillor had shifted her focus away from Jackson's political career marginally to allow time to help reunite families, instead. Whilst the witch worked dutifully with families both within and outside their constituency during the day, she finalised Jackson's work in the evening to ensure his campaign did not suffer from her own, personal agenda. Jackson, as always, had been supportive of it all, helping the witch where he could, or else giving her the time she needed to complete the work otherwise.

It had only been a handful of times the man had grown impatient with the long hours Victoria had been working, pushing aside the papers that had been neatly stacked upon the sofa, taken the laptop from Victoria's grasp and placing it on to the coffee table, before quietening any attempt of an argument from the small witch with kisses that would melt away any trace of thought. Kisses much too hungry, and yet patient all in the same movement, until Jackson's body covered her own and reminded her that there was more to life than just work.

The months trickled by, and Jackson's name had only grown stronger with their fight for reuniting families. Jenna's information that came each week denoted how the people of Milwaukee's opinion of the Senator was only growing stronger with the work they were doing. Somehow everything was working out, and Victoria could not be happier with everything they were doing. Making a difference. Keeping people together.

Except for her own family.

Jake had continued on with his wish to stay in the UK. Nobody could understand it. Yes, the children might have been born in the UK, but their mother was no longer with them. Their grandfathers would come and see them from time to time, but Veronika's fathers weren't as close as the Newbury family were. What was keeping him in the UK, Victoria could not say for sure, but of the last few weeks, there seemed to have been... a happiness in Jake's voice that the witch could not find the cause for.

As December had began, Victoria had sat down with Jackson for dinner one evening with the question ready upon her lips.

"Can we spend Christmas together?" The witch had asked nervously of her boyfriend as he ate heartily across from her.

His reply had been an affirmative without even a glance up from his plate. Victoria had smiled fondly at the top of Jackson's head as he concentrated on his food for a moment, allowing him just another moment before she continued on.

"With Merida, and my parents. Here." Victoria continued, reaching across to hold Jackson's hand as he looked up at her. "Well, at your house, not the apartment. But I'd like all of us to be together, as a family... and I would like to tell them, about us, I think now is a good time."

Jackson had been cooperative about it all, agreeing to the idea. The 'are you sure?' question had been a given, but the witch had simply told him that she believed it was the right time to tell there parents. Tessa was some way in his past, and... it was the gentle nudge to show that she was serious about all of this, if he was. The invitations had been made to both parents and the confirmation that both families would be there made Victoria almost giddy with excitement.

Until she'd asked Jake to come, and he'd pointed out that he could not return to America.

And that he would be spending Christmas with Clara and the children.

The news had come as odd, Victoria hadn't really thought Jake would keep up with Clara once school returned... but it seemed he had. Parking all that to the side, though, the witch had taken to her own preparations for Christmas. The turkey had been ordered specially from a local farm, and the house had to be prepared for the guests. The dining room had been completely cleaned out, polished, and reset, a Christmas tree had been put up in the living room, Christmas decorations could be found in every room, up the stairs, and around each window to fully show the spirit of Christmas. Each room had been cleaned thoroughly and set up for the guests, and Victoria had sent a polite text to her mom asking that she not bring alcohol to the house.

The couple had spent almost every day trying to get everything perfect, and by the morning of Christmas Eve, it looked like Victoria might be somewhat content with the house ahead of their guests coming.

The fresh snow had settled across Milwaukee, and the house looked almost perfectly picturesque by now. Victoria had pulled Jackson back to her as he tried to leave the house to collect his mom for the evening under the premise of fixing his jacket a little more for warmth. Jackson's lips had been moving towards her own even before she could reach up to press her own to his.

"Drive safely," the witch had murmured against his lips, allowing him to lift her slightly to make their kiss just a little bit easier. Victoria's cheeks had flushed softly by the time Jackson pulled back, setting her carefully back down on the floor. The promise he would be fine came and went, and the witch nodded her understanding. Nerves had racked her small frame since the invitations had gone, not because she didn't want to tell her parents and Merida. She trusted them all to be happy for them. The nerves had come at the realisation she was going to have to pull off a meal for five people the next day, with all the trimmings, and to a standard close to her mom's.

And hope that Merida felt comfortable with everything that was going on.

And that her dad wouldn't ask too many questions of the lack of alcohol being served.

And that everything would just... not go wrong.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Sun Aug 23, 2020 3:04 pm

"Hi everyone, my name is Blake. And I'm an ally."

"Hello Blake," the room chorused at once, the exercise a staple of every meeting he'd been attending since March.

"I know I'm not a recurring face here, and that's by design. I travel... for work, so I'm not here as regularly as I should be. I apologies for that."

A muted hmm of sympathy echoed through the room. The few people who recognized him kept quiet while those who didn't ogled freely. Dressed down in jeans and a nondescript T shirt, the man still cut a figure that prompted many to pay close attention.

"So Blake, what's been going on lately buddy?" the group leader asked, his question phrased politely enough to be ignored if the man wished to. "What's on your mind bud?"

"She wants to do Christmas."

***

The night of the fateful protest seemed years ago but in reality, it hadn't even been six months. Victoria had attacked the legalities of mistreating protesters, keeping out citizens and separating families with the air of a woman on a mission. Jackson had never seen her this driven and he couldn't be more proud of the witch if he tried. Moving forwards with the principal that this was not a partisan issue, the Milwaukee senator had opened his office and considerable resources to notable causes such as the NAACP and The Trevor Project. The added publicity that came through the causes didn't hurt either, Jenna made sure of that. With no election to fight this year and a major victory in their belt in the form of HR420 being passed, the offices could in good conscience direct their energies elsewhere. And they did.

Much of August passed in good spirits with Victoria looking forwards to Miss Azalea's visit but it was back to work in September. Late nights were a common accurance but it was all by choice. Mac, Sloan, Tess, Kendra, Tamra, Maggie and even young Jenna were putting in extra hours besides Jackson and Victoria, bent on doing their civic duty in the office of an elected official.

Mid September however, Jackson received a lunch invitation from an old friend, Michael Bloomberg. Asking Victoria to please slot him into the diary, the politician mused why he was being called. Victoria proposed it was due to his social media success from their work. Just last week, a picture of a mother being reunited with her two year old had gone viral, the background frame being Jackson's large oak desk with his nameplate on it in stark letters. The news cycle had had a field day at the picture.

Still, Michael was not a man who gave out praise readily. In fact, it was this very attitude that made Jackson respect the older politician, you had to earn his praise. "More likely an opportunity," he replied lost in thought as Victoria continued to go through an abnormally large stack of files.

***

"Growing up, we never did traditional Christmas. Mer- I mean my mom was always working, right up until Christmas Eve and sometimes even on Christmas day. Triple pay and all." As far as stories go, his wasn't the most interesting. He could see some people nodding off or reaching for their phone at the back row but the man had learned a long time ago these sessions were for him as well as for those trying to get help. He wasn't saying it because they needed to hear it. He was here because he needed to say it.

"I don't think she ever imagined we'd have a house like we do now. There are trees and garlands and streamers and shit." A laugh reverberated from the few still listening, making him chuckle too.

"Sorry, but you should look at our house. It seriously looks something out of a Disney movie. I think she may have stolen all the Christmas cheer and put it into our home."

"And how do you feel about that, Blake?" the group leader prompted gently. The man was a lot more perceptive than he was given credit.

"Good...' the politician replied, the single word hanging off the edge of his lips before he took in another breath. 'Mostly good," he corrected, prompting a little more interest from his audience.

***

As always, Michael had chosen the Pfister. the old politician had a room constantly booked at the establishment for precisely this reason. Jackson arrived in plenty of time to chat with the manager before being showed to where Mr. Bloomberg was to be served. the wizard had expected a longer wait but he hadn't been seated five minutes when the silver haired republican walked in, clad in his usual dark suit. The only thing that marked this as a casual lunch was the absence of a tie on either man.

"Michael, are you a sight for sore eyes. How are Lydia and Judith?" the younger man greeted warmly, standing up to shake his host's hands. Michael returned the greeting warmly enough, shaking his head at the whereabouts of his daughter and third wife.

"God only knows. busy with their own vices I imagine." Most might have taken Michael's comment as a rebuke of his family but Jackson knew it to be the norm. The Bloombergs did not keep in touch, especially since Judith had launched her own political career as the Widow of a man still very much breathing.

Lunch commenced pleasantly enough until talk turned to shop. Where Jackson expected backhanded praise for the good publicity he was garnering lately, all he received was a question.

"Who's idea was the whole bleeding heart angle?"

"Just tryna help," Jackson replied, not wanting to give out any names. More than just protecting Victoria, he wouldn't throw any of his girls under the bus and Micheal knew that.

"Help who, the Dems?"

"Hey man, I'm just helping kids reunite with parents. It's not about party."

Michael put his fork down, staring at Jackson hard enough to make the younger politician uncomfortable. "Do you need to be reminded that it is a party that funds you, not the parents and kids? If you wanted to do NGO BS why did you get into politics? Do you know how it looks when you publicly oppose legislation drafted by your party to keep the borders safe?"

"Come on Mike, we aren't letting hardened criminals in, just providing legal aide to those who can't afford it. The decision still rests with the judge."

"You're opposing Republican led and passed legislation. CNN is singing your praises saying you're a secret Dem.The blonde tits at Fox can barely defend you now. I spoke to Millstone the other day and he wanted to know what the hell you were doing with his money."

"We've been keeping up with our receipts," Jackson replied, very much the obstinate child in this situation. He knew exactly what his one time mentor was saying, and Jackson didn't want to hear it.

Michael returned to his food, not one to waste good breath on someone who wouldn't listen. After a few more bites of his steak, he said "Rumor has it you're thinking of jumping ship. I just asked you here to tell you that's the dumbest idea ever. You want to commit career suicide just as you've found momentum, be my guest."

"Look, it's being blown out of proportion. It's just a publicity stunt, why on earth would I join the blue balls?"

"Then put an end to this PR exercise, cause it's gonna cost you more than it's worth, Jackson."

Putting his cutlery down, the raven haired wizard didn't even pretend to contemplate. "No can do."

"And why not?"

"It would make a kid I know very sad."

And that, Jackson left unsaid, was never an option.

***

"I dunno, this always seemed like a family thing. And Merida and I... we never seemed like a real family. Don't get me wrong, I love the woman to death but we were the family you never saw in commercials, on postcards, or... anything. And now we're getting to a point where we might just be, all thanks to her. I don't know how to tell her this is... scary."

There it was. This was what the man had been struggling with ever since Victoria had mentioned inviting their parents for Christmas. At first he hadn't been sure if it was his own commitment phobia that was making him question her decision. But that wasn't it. He was so proud of Victoria, he wanted to tell the whole world. It wasn't even that he was scared her father would not approve, Jackson was well aware that no one was good enough for Victoria. He'd almost be disappointed in Henry Newbury if the man approved wholeheartedly.

It was the fear of where all this was leading.

"And why is the idea of a family so frightening, Blake?"

"Because..." The man paused, gritting his teeth against the truth about to come out. He had to say it though, and no space was safer than this one.

"Because I can't give her one."

***

The roads to Green Lake weren't as bad as the ones from. Jackson had arrived promptly the morning of Christmas Eve to pick up Merida, his SUV covered in just enough dust and grime from the journey to not make him look like a douchebag back in his hometown. Merida didn't come alone though.

All the families from his street, and Mrs. Patel three streets down, had sent a little something with Merida. Pies, jams, cookies, Jackson was a hero at Green Lake and Merida, the hero's mother who was the recipient of many a food items in the small town. It took the better part of an hour saying hi to everyone and posing for selfies to mark his triumphant return to the small town but by midday, they were finally off.

Only to be stuck in the kind of traffic that made even upbeat Bollywood music cause a drilling in the head. Finally, with the music off and the car at a standstill, there was nothing to do but talk.

"You doing okay, kiddo?"

"Mmm."

"Then why the fancy Christmas dinner. You could have come over like always and we could have popped in some bagels."

"Victoria wanted to, her folks just moved here and I guess she wants to give them a more... traditional Christmas. Her brother can't make it so she's trying to make up for the disappointment."

Merida nodded knowingly, whatever her son had said, she had gotten her answer from. The car ahead moved anther inch, making Jackson's foot impatiently hover over the gas.

"And what about that Malibu Barbie? Tana?"

"Tessa," Jackson corrected automatically, pulling the car forward another inch before setting down in traffic again. They were not going anywhere soon at this rate. "That's over. We... wanted different thing." This was true, Tessa had wanted him and he had wanted Victoria. A real conflict of interest.

Merida nodded once again, finding her answers in his vague words.

It was only after they had cleared the stubborn bit of traffic that the redheaded woman allowed herself a grin.

"I like Victoria much better anyway, don't you let that one go, kid."

Not planning to, the politician replied in his head, his grin identical to that of his mother's.

***

"Senator Blake."

Jackson's blood froze, along with the hand that was underneath the coffee dispenser. Too late, he realized the hot liquid was missing his paper cup and hitting the floor. With a hurried apology, he stepped aside.

"I'm sorry, you must be-"

"I know who you are," the tall, lanky blonde smiled, not unkindly. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

For a minute, the man considered lying, or discretely erasing her memory, or confunding her slightly. But she was here which meant she was either a survivor or an ally, and either status meant she was dealing with her own brand of confusion or anxiety. Jackson couldn't add to that.

"Appreciate it," he finally finally conceded, walking closer to her so their conversation wouldn't be overheard. "I didn't think I'd run into anyone this far off but there you have it."

"If it helps, I'm a polysci major at Yale. We covered your viral campaigns a few weeks back as an exercise in using media effectively."

"Go figure," Jackson chuckled. The kid didn't look like a Yale student but then again, what did he know. "You're a far way from school though."

"You're a far way from Milwaukee Senator."

"Touche."

They spoke for a few more minutes before his phone pinged, no doubt a text from Victoria asking if he would be home in time for dinner.

"Do you mind, I have to answer this."

"The Princess?" his blonde companion asked, making him realize this wasn't the first time she had seen him talk. His nickname for Victoria at the meetings was only known to two types of people. Those who frequented and those who paid attention. Miss Yale apparently did both.

"Maybe," Jackson replied noncommittaly, unable to hide his grin through when indeed a text from Victoria lit up his screen.

"You know it won't work out with her right?"

"Excuse me?"

"From the sounds of it, she wants kids. You can't have any. If you stay together, one of you would have to compromise, and what kind of a life is that?"

"One that isn't any concern of yours, I would think."

The blonde raised her hands in front of her defensively, clearly feeling attacked. "Just saying dude, it's your life."

Yes it was, and now Jackson was forced to come face to face with it whether he wanted to or not.

The man drove back to Milwaukee lost in his own thoughts, wondering how much of his unnamed meeting goer's words were true.

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All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Rsz_mi10

All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Rsz_ja12

All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Rsz_rs13

Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:42 pm

With Jackson's attention distracted with the task of collecting his mom, Victoria had done a sweep around the large house once more to check that every room was perfectly presented before their guests would arrive that afternoon. Despite the house not being her own, Victoria had taken to it with the pride of it being her own as she set each room up like a Christmas grotto, and no detail could be overlooked. There was little the witch could do about the garishly designed house in such short time, but she was sure that she had distracted the eye from most of the darker woods that lined the house.

Once the witch was sure she'd finished up everything, she'd changed in to a simple shirt and blouse ready for the arrival of their parents. Merida and Jackson would arrive first, an hour ahead of her own parents. Having never met her own parents, Victoria thought it would be kinder on Merida to be settled in the house first, accustomed to it's layouts, and hopefully relaxed with a drink before her parents arrived. It was also in that hope that Victoria believed Jackson would fair much better knowing that he would have time to relax back at the house with his mom before her parents arrived, even if he hadn't said it, the small amount of anxiousness around the parents' visits had been palpable enough for the younger witch to catch.

Still, Victoria was hopeful.

Why shouldn't she be?

Once the final touches were made to her appearance, and the earrings finalised the outfit entirely, Victoria had made her way back down to the kitchen to check on the food that was prepared ahead of their dinner that evening. The witch had opted for the simplicity of a lasagne for that evening's dinner, accompanied with salad and garlic bread, and the a lemon meringue pie for dessert, the witch was almost sure this couldn't go wrong.

The complexities of dinner could wait just one more day...

Checking the clock on the oven, the witch noted that she only had another ten to fifteen minutes before Jackson would return home.

Moving through to the lounge, the witch fluffed up the pillows upon the sofa once more, and adjusted the decorations on the tree so that they all looked more presentable before her eyes took in the room again. Beneath the tree were already a pile of presents from Jackson and herself to their parents. Victoria had also placed the presents she'd bought for Jackson beneath the tree that morning, hiding them towards the back so he couldn't try to work them out until tomorrow morning.

Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed lightly with the new hour, and the nervousness that had been quietly floating in the base of her stomach caught up with the time, instead giving an intensely stronger version of discomfort that Victoria hadn't known she would feel.

But, then, perhaps this was how it was to tell your parents you were serious with someone, at an age where it could not be played off as a childish crush, or be met with the understanding it was a relationship during university that would undoubtedly not last.

This... this was very much real, though.

Lasting.

And it would be freeing to not have to hide it from the people both Jackson and she loved deeply.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:01 pm

Jackson and Merida Blake pulled into the large and seasonally decorated driveway of his home just after two in the afternoon, the traffic holding them up only half an hour longer than expected. After they had cleared the stubborn block of cars heading home for the holidays, the portals had made quick work of the rest of the journey. Merida hadn't spoken much after their initial discussion, content with seeing the sights and hearing the sounds of the big cities they whizzed through on their way. Despite her never saying it, Jackson was aware his mother was a country woman at heart, big cities still made her eyes pop and her jaw drop.

And she would never be happy living in one.

"Looks like Christmas exploded all over," she commented, amused as Jackson pulled into the parking space. "Victoria did one hell of a job."

"She did, didn't she?" the senator replied proudly as he stepped out of the car and then walked to the passenger side to open Merida's door. The man knew better than to offer her a hand though.

"So where is the girl of the hour?" the redhead asked, walking carefully on the pristine porch in her dusty brown boots, trying not to leave marks but in vain. Merida's boots were well worn, as were her dark blue jeans and her nicest floral top. When Jackson had first started making money, he had offered to buy Merida clothes, or the money to do so herself. As it happened, the woman had merely bought a sturdier pair of winter boots and said she liked the rest of her apparel. Functional to a fault, Merida had nonetheless made an effort today.

"There she is,' Jackson spoke up as Victoria appeared at the door, a vision of Christmas cheer in her red and white ensemble. "Hey kiddo, guess who I found in Green Lake?" The warm hug and greeting shared by the two women was watched fondly by Jackson as he began the complicated process of unloading all the foodstuff from the car. At Victoria's questioning gaze he merely grinned.

"Blessings from the home town, I guess everyone was really happy to see us." Though the man was sure they wouldn't be necessary. From the amount of time Victoria had been spending in the kitchen and the strict orders that he was not to go near the fridge, the wizard guessed there was some serious food in the making for Christmas day.

Merida's eyes were almost bugging out as they entered the home, first landing on the giant and extensively decorated Christmas tree and then the pile of presents underneath. No doubt this tree beat out the Kroger's one back home. And it shaded over real, actual presents and not just empty boxes like back at the shop.

"Well, now's as good a time as any," the redhead admitted before reaching into her bag and pulling out three simply wrapped packages. A small square and a bigger slim one was wrapped in pink and a the last in a more subdued blue.

"Wow, favoritism mom," Jackson joked as his mother handed the presents to Victoria to place under the tree.

"Of course," she retorted with a smile of her own. "She cleans up way better than you."

"I'm wearing the same thing you are, woman!" Jackson protested, motioning to his own fitted blue jeans and a light blue shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

"Except yours is more girly."

And laughing, the three made their way to the living room and beyond to get Merida settled in before the arrival of the Newburies.

________________________________________________

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Mon Aug 31, 2020 12:12 pm

"Hey kiddo, guess who I found in Green Lake?"

"Merida!" Victoria greeted warmly, pulling Jackson's mom in to a warm, tight hug that had become custom when meeting the older witch. "It's lovely to see you again! How have you-"

The witch cut off upon seeing all the food being brought in to the house with Jackson. The witch had not realised that Merida would bring so much with her, otherwise she would have sent the redhead a text to say that everything was under control, and she need only bring herself for the day. Jackson, though, had caught up with the witch's questioning gaze, and the explanation made her feel much better. It hadn't been Merida's misunderstanding of today, but instead presents from Jackson's home town. A smile blossomed upon the witch's features at that.

"That's so sweet! I'll make space in the fridge, Merlin knows Jackson can eat a banquet to himself!" The witch joked gently, earning a laugh from the man's mom in the process as she ushered them through to the lounge area.

The tree there had been decorated, though not nearly as much as Victoria had wanted to, for the holidays, and beneath it the piles of presents took up almost half of the room. Merida's additions came from her handbag, and Victoria accepted them gratefully, arranging them at the front of the piles of presents in pride of place. "Thank you, Merida." Victoria told the older witch, taking up the seat closest to the tree so that she could keep an eye on Jackson. "Have you always had trouble keeping him from the presents, or is it just this year he's being cheeky and trying to open them?"

Merida had thought about it for a while before answering that he'd always been that cheeky, before she told stories of the man's childhood when he would keep sneaking down to see if Santa had been -- back when Jackson had still believed in such things. Their Christmases, from the stories told, were a much more humble affair than Victoria's own had ever been, but the witch found that the light in both Jackson and Merida's eyes was the same as any other person she'd known to speak of Christmas, and that was all that mattered.

The next hour was spent as it usually was with Merida, catching her up to all the news that hadn't been relayed via text messages or phone calls to the witch, updates from Green Lake and all the gossip about the neighbours -- the names of whom were becoming more and more familiar to Victoria now, even to the point where the witch asked after some of the neighbours who'd been in previous conversations. The new babies that had arrived, and the passings of older relatives, Victoria took it all in so that she wouldn't ever feel like she hadn't given Merida every last ounce of her attention whilst they were together.

In the kitchen a timer went off, signalling the time to put in the lasagne ahead of their dinner. Excusing herself politely, Victoria had hurried through to put the dinner in before checking the rest of the kitchen was still as it should be. Another quick check of the fridge, and moving some of the Green Lake additions around, and the witch had emerged once more to the lounge and their guest.

"Just a few more minutes, and mom and dad will be here." Victoria told Merida with a warm smile. The hope that both parties would get along becoming more and more prevalent in that moment. But talk continued on, as it usually did with Merida, flowing freely as they caught up. It was only as flames appeared in the fireplace that talk stopped, Victoria getting to her feet as the excited smile crossed her lips once more.

The flames grew, creeping up the chimney breast, until finally the image of her father's head appeared in the grate.

"Ah, I'm in the right place!" Henry Newbury said, letting out a soft chuckle that got cut off as he pulled back from the flames. Another moment, and then the image of her mother emerged from the fireplace, wiping the soot from her shoulders back towards the fireplace.

"Victoria!" Alexis Newbury beamed, moving forth and enveloping her daughter in her arms tightly before kissing the top of her head. Behind them, Henry stepped through the fire, suitcase in hand. Taking out his wand, the man dusted himself and the case off, before turning back to the fire and shutting off the Floo network.

"Dad!" Victoria beamed, moving from her mom to hug him tightly.

"Hey Vic," Henry greeted gently, pressing a kiss to the top of his daughter's head in the same manner as his wife had.

"Mom, Dad, this is Jackson's mom, Merida." Victoria introduced, with both of the Newburys stepping forth to greet the witch politely. "And, of course, you remember Jackson."

"Hard one to forget." Henry greeted good-naturedly as he shook Jackson's hand.

"Lovely to meet you, Merida, Victoria has told us so much about you. It's lovely to finally put a face to a name." Alexis greeted kindly, the smile upon her features genuine as she greeted the other witch.

"This is Jackson's house, I'll give you both a tour later." Victoria continued on, before realising what she'd forgotten all this time. "Drinks? Oh, Merida, I'm so sorry!" The witch quickly hurried back to the kitchen, grabbing the tray she'd set out with glasses, and the mocktail she'd concocted after finding the recipe online.

"Okay, everyone has to try one of these, yes Dad, you too!" Victoria insisted as she set the tray down and poured from the large jug in to the individual glasses. "It's a Cranberry Sorbet Bellini, apparently!" The explanation would hopefully be enough as Victoria handed a glass to each of their guests and then to Jackson.

"I feel like we should toast..." Henry offered as he eyed his glass, trying to decipher what was in it. "To Victoria's first time hosting Christmas?" He proposed, waiting to see who would take up the offer.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Thu Oct 15, 2020 3:23 pm

It never failed to amaze Jackson how organically Victoria and Merida got along together. The older woman had always had a soft spot for the princess, even when they were young. But now Merida almost treated her like a daughter, and that was before the foreshadowing of what was to come tonight. Though the senator bet his mother already had a pretty good idea, if her knowing smile was any clue.

Of course, any conversation between the two most important women in his life always came at some expense to the man's ego, but it was a small price to pay to see them laugh. When Victoria finally left for the kitchen to check up on her lasagna, Jackson showed his mother to her room, being treated to a low whistle as they passed the decorated portion of the house used for large political dinners.

"My my, this is a far cry from Green Lake."

"Don't gotta tell me," Jackson muttered, varying her bag through to the first bedroom on the landing. Victoria's parents had been given the farthest room on that level to assure maximum privacy while Jackson and Victoria would be sleeping in his usual bedroom, a solid floor above.

By the time they had stuffed Merida's bag into the closet, the redhead had washed her face and the mother son duo returned to the sitting room downstairs, Victoria was out of the kitchen and announcing her parents arrival. A warning look passed between Jackson and his mom, warning her to be nice, only to be replied with a cheeky wink that suggested she was always nice. From what the Senator had seen of Alexis Newbury, she liked things proper, and Merida was about the farthest thing from proper this side of the pond.

Merida's eyes nearly expanded off her face when the chimney began to shake. Jackson had to move closer to erasure her it was just magic stuff and not the structure crumbling around them. She watched in stunned silence as first Alexis then her husband followed from the fireplace, bags and all. Being a No Mag, the woman had never been around magic enough to get used to it.

She returned to her usual self while the Newburies greeted each other, Jackson finally moving from her side and kissing Alexis on the cheek. "Alexis, how is it that you grow younger every time I see you?" the raven haired politician grinned charmingly at his girlfriend's mother before moving to Henry. "Let me take that bag off you, Victoria has a strict chart on division of labor around here and I'm in charge of the heavy lifting." The man made a face as if to look sorry but his twinkling eyes gave away the good cheer.

"At least she had the good sense to give you something useful to do," Merida chipped in, now fully recovered from her floo shock. "Otherwise he'd be parked in front of the television watching football." Moving to Alexis, she greeted the witch warmly. "It's really nice to meet you folks too. You'all should be proud, you raised a fantastic daughter."

The whole room hummed in agreement, making Victoria blush prettily.

"Drinks? Oh, Merida, I'm so sorry!"

The witch disappeared a moment later, returning with drinks she had made. As Henry raised a toast to his daughter, everyone joined in. "To Victoria" ringing around the beautifully decorated room in a chorus.

"These are delicious darling," Alexis complimented as the men simply drank, their manhood not permitting them to admit the girly drink was actually quite refreshing. Merida had no such reservations though, making the room laugh by saying this was the first non alcoholic beverage she would openly endorse. Fifteen minutes of polite chatter later, Jackson offered to show the Newburies to their room to store their things while Victoria and Merida went to set the table for dinner.

Not long now, he thought as he closed the door behind Alexis and Henry, giving them some privacy to unpack and wash up.

At dinner, they were going to drop the news. And how that news was received, would determine if this Christmas would be a jolly one.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:28 am

The arrival of her parents hadn't dulled the jittery nerves that filled the witch's body as they drank the fruity cocktails together, the conversation might have stayed light and hopeful, but the witch could see all to easily her boyfriend's mild discomfort with it all. Even though the witch had no reason to worry, she knew her parents would support her decisions, she'd hoped Jackson would have been... no, she couldn't fault him for being nervous when she was the same.

A momentary reprieve was given, though, as Jackson offered to show her parents to their rooms once their drinks had been suitably drained of it's contents. Signalling the time for the witch to finish the final preparations for dinner. Merida had offered to help her without a second thought, and though the dining table had already been laid, checked thrice for both cleanliness and neatness upon the table, one last check wouldn't hurt -- and all of their glasses needed to be refilled. Merida had taken the latter of the jobs without a fuss, leaving Victoria to give the table one final tweak, straightening a knife here, or moving a cracker there to make sure there was enough space.

Merida had caught her in the doorway of the kitchen, and gently placed her hand on the younger witch's arm. The gentle reminder that everything looked perfect, and that she should be more than proud of what she'd achieved allowed for a momentary lapse in the nerves, a gentle smile touching the witch's lips as Merida let her go, gave her a look of what could have been mistaken for understanding, before she continued on her way with the refilled glasses of drinks.

From the stairway, Victoria could hear the returning conversation of Jackson and her parents, mostly the men talking about something Victoria didn't gather.

"Dinner will be on the table in two minutes!" Victoria called up to them, leaving Jackson to situate their guests at the table as she returned to the oven to collect the lasagne. The witch would appear in exactly that time, carrying a lasagne tray almost as big as her in oven-mitted hands to the middle of the table. The lasagne had been scored in to squares ready to serve, and was placed pride of place in the middle of the table, reaching between her parents to get it in place atop the warming plates to keep it as fresh as possible. "Tuck in, I'll be back with the garlic bread, and salads!"

With that said, Victoria retreated once more to the kitchen before emerging with the tray of freshly made garlic bread, and neatly cut salad. Both options were laid either side of the lasagne plate that had already been tucked in to, and four generous portions taken. Victoria moved around the table to Jackson's side, taking up the seat beside him carefully. The food filled the talking for a few minutes as everyone filled their plates, asked one another to pass the salad, or the salt. Alexis had asked which recipe Victoria had used, only to be greeted with the fact her daughter had used her mother's recipe, of course. Almost as one, everyone had dug in to their food, some with their usual gusto -- Victoria couldn't help but smile around her dainty bite of lasagne as Jackson ate like he usually would -- and others with caution.

A few moments later, though, a chorus would be made around the table at how well the witch had done, and how tasty the lasagne was, or how well she'd managed to cook all the pasta -- all three women agreeing that getting the pasta right was always the hardest part of the dish.

Glowing with the confidence of the dinner going down well, Victoria's left hand had ducked down below the table, finding Jackson's knee and gently giving him the non-verbal signal that the best time to move forward with their news was now. It would be best to get the news over and done with, then they could both breathe a little bit.

"Mom, Dad, Merida," Victoria spoke, her left hand back in place around her fork as she addressed the table. All three of their parents looked back at her expectantly, and the lawyer looked across to Jackson in turn for reassurance. Waiting for his eyes to give the go ahead, Victoria turned back to the three of them as she took a steadying breath.

"Jackson and I would like you to know that we're together." The witch explained, taking in Merida's warm knowing smile and knowing that there, at least, she didn't need to explain any further. "We've been together for a while now." She added, focusing on her parents a little more as she spoke. "And we wanted you to know, before a media outlet informs you, because..."

Here, the witch paused, glancing back to her boyfriend and without realising the smile was growing on her lips as she thought about her next sentence.

"We're serious about one another, and you deserve to know the truth." Victoria finalised, before catching herself, and looking back across at their parents. Nothing came for a moment, a pause that Victoria did not allow to continue too long before she added on to her previous words. "But, we're not going public yet. For Jackson's career's sake, we've decided to keep this quiet because he and the constituents need to be able to focus on his policies for the upcoming elections."

Even though they weren't until November... but the witch was not going to be the reason Jackson won or lost his next campaign, they were going to do it without all the public romantic ploys they'd used before.

Alexis' features had broken in to a smile by that point, it was no secret that her mom liked the Senator, and in that moment, Victoria let out a breath of relief. "Congratulations!" Alexis replied to all of that, joined in similar sentiments from Merida soon after. "I can't say I didn't have an inkling, what with Jackson's help with our move back to the US, but I didn't want to pry, or make a wrong suggestion! Isn't this wonderful, Henry?"

Henry Newbury looked a mixture of emotions, trying to pick just one of them to settle on. The Ministry Official took a moment, and perhaps a kick under the table before he spoke again. "So long as my daughter is happy." He replied, leaving the message clear for Jackson without being too rude in the process.

"So, when did you two start dating?" Alexis asked, but her question was posed to Jackson, wanting to hear some from him as the table continued on with their food at the same time.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Fri Oct 16, 2020 4:05 pm

Dinner started as Jackson had expected it would, with everyone complimenting his Princess's cooking. The Senator had yet to sit down to a Victoria cooked meal that hadn't been thoroughly rewarded with praise and adulation. Though she was modest enough to give credit to her mother for the recipe, Jackson was almost sure it would not have turned out the same if Alexis had made it.

Small talk took over the table as Jackson helped himself to lasagna, cutting out a large piece both in support of her cooking and also because driving and socializing was hungry work. If the senator had thought he was doing a good job of not seeming on edge, he was reminded that Victoria missed nothing when he felt her hand on his knee under the table. Taking a calming breath, he moved one of his own hands on top of hers, squeezing it in reassurance.

"Oh yes, Jackson mentioned your son couldn't make it. I hope everything's alright with him. He has children, right?" Merida's simple question paused the entire table for a few seconds before Alexis jumped in, speaking of her two grandchildren with pride. Jackson's eyes however had moved to Henry who returned to his lasagna with an almost stoic determination.

Which was when Victoria decided the time was right to break the news.

"Mom, Dad, Merida, Jackson and I would like you to know that we're together."

For some reason, Jackson had expected a stunned silence, glares, objections, even Henry threatening to kick him out of his own house. What actually went down was... rather genial. The look of surprise was completely absent from his mother, and only pleasantly so on Alexis's. Henry was unreadable as usual until he declared he was happy as long as Victoria was.

For a split second, Jackson wanted to laugh, to pretend this was some elaborate prank they had pulled. There was still time to undo this, save Victoria from a future that would certainly not make her as happy as she was right now. Instead he smiled alongside her as she explained everything as best she could. At her admittance that they were keeping it quiet for the sake of his career, Jackson felt the Newbury patriarch glance up at him but the next moment, his eyes were back on his plate.

The message had been sent though, this was far from over.

"So, when did you two start dating?"

"I honestly couldn't put a date to it," the wizard managed with an easy smile. "At first we were working together so much and then it just made sense to be around her even when we weren't." He knew he had said the right words when Victoria blushed beside him and Alexis beamed happily at the love story she wanted. No doubt the tale would be told around her ladies circle more than once when the time was right.

"In that end, I just got unbelievably lucky," he admitted with a chuckle, saying what everyone around the table probably thought. "I know I'm punching above my weight class but somehow, she is kind enough to feed me when I'm hungry and I'm very grateful for it."

A soft "aww" escaped from somewhere but he didn't look up to see who it was, preferring to return to his food. More questions followed, Victoria fielding them on his behalf until dinner was finally declared over and Alexis insisted on making coffee for all those who wanted it. Merida, trying to be helpful, offered to take over coffee duty so the Newburies could get a tour of the house.

"Now that's an idea if I've ever heard one," Henry chipped in, raising Jackson's interest. The man had been mostly quiet during dinner so to speak up now...

"Vic, why don't you show your mom around the house while Jackson and I look over the grounds. I'm more into the outdoors anyway."

And there it was. the promise Henry's earlier glance had made.

"Course, no problem. Though you might want to grab your coat, it's getting chilly out there."

"I think I'll manage son," replied the Ministry official dryly before turning to the women. 'Ladies, see you in a bit." And with that, the two wizards made their way to the front door, leaving the three women behind in the safety and warmth of the big, well lit house.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:54 pm

The positivity had come from her parents without hesitation, the admittance that her mom had suspected from their return did not surprise Victoria, truthfully. As well as they had tried to keep their feelings for one another hidden, the witch knew that she had found herself smiling fondly after her boyfriend when he spoke of helping her dad with something, even all these months later.

Merida had been happy, though, and for that much Victoria felt relieved. Jackson had had a few relationships in the last couple of years, but Victoria had never seen Merida look as happy as she did now. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, or perhaps it was the truth, but Victoria was almost quite sure they had the approval from Jackson's mom, and that couldn't have settled nicer for Victoria.

Jackson's answer about how their relationship had started was the truth, they had found themselves growing closer for months, whether knowingly or not. His answer had left out the key points such as his last relationship not having been finished, or the mess she'd found the man in that night as he hugged alcohol to him in the aftermath of the bad news he'd been dealt.

None of their parents needed to know that story.

The world didn't need to know that story, it was something that would always be between the two of them, because no one else needed to know the trials and tribulations that had brought them to this moment.

The conversation continued on about the relationship for a while, and Victoria explained how they had mostly been living out of the flat she had taken the rent over from Jackson on due to it only being the two of them, and the house seemingly too big. Merida had agreed with that much, leading to a round of laughter from the table. The conversation came to it's natural end, though, and Victoria transitioned it to talk of Green Lake so that Merida could take the conversation a little bit more. Green Lake was beautiful, and Victoria had been sure to put that in as the three ladies continued the majority of the conversation, with small anecdotes from Jackson in between.

By the time dinner was over, the worry of the conversation of their relationship would be nothing more than a distant memory for Victoria as the ladies had opted to make coffee for them all. An idea that had been added to with the idea of a tour of the big house. Victoria had looked to Jackson to see if that was okay, but the question hadn't been necessary as he agreed wholeheartedly with it. Her dad, though, had insisted on a tour around the garden.

"It's dark..." Victoria had pointed out softly, but both Jackson and her dad were already getting ready to head out to the garden as if that didn't matter.

Knowing that Jackson could handle himself, Victoria had given him and encouraging smile before he set off, before turning back to Merida and her mom. "Okay, who would like to see the most garish kitchen in the world, I plan to renovate the house almost entirely, if Jackson agrees. The last owners were a little bit too far on the traditional look of the house, but I think you could do some wonderful work to bring it in to this century, whilst not completely losing it's character." The witch explained, ushering the older women through to the kitchen to show them what she meant. Merida's opinions were less frequent than her own mom's were, but each of them were ones that Victoria had taken good note of, making notes to encompass as many of them as she could to ensure the witch felt more comfortable each time she would visit.

From the kitchen they'd moved upstairs, the downstairs was pretty much done from their activities so far, and the continued talks of what could be done, with time, had filled an ample amount of time. By the time the women had returned to the kitchen for coffee, more than half an hour must have passed, and the conversation was abuzz with the potential for the house in the future.

"I'll show you the garden tomorrow, mom, you won't get a true feeling for it now." Victoria finalised, taking up hers and Jackson's mugs from the side as her mom repeated the action with her husband's. "I'm sure they'll be back by now," Victoria added, guiding the trio to the lounge with their mugs in the hope of finding the men back from their tour of the gardens.

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Subject: Re: All I Want for Christmas is You (Vickson) Tue Nov 03, 2020 5:11 am

Jackson couldn't help the feeling of walking into a trap as he and his newly declared girlfriend's father stepped out into the porch, the warm lighting overheard the last vestige of safety before they headed out into the front yard.

"Pretty impressive driveway, no?" he began, his voice like sandpaper. The younger wizard cleared his throat before continuing. "It's mostly for show. We do some important state dinners here now and then. Otherwise this place is way to big for u- For... "There was no good way to end that sentence to the Senator left it hanging. Once again, Henry Newbury remained quiet.

"But out back's the real deal," Jackson attempted again as they cut through the front gardens to head to the larger grounds behind the house. "Big gardens, barbecue set up, squash court, and we get a bit of the lake shore. I go rowing sometimes."

"Victoria likes the room?"

The politician hung his head. Henry's very first question was a trick one. "I don't know, Sir, I don't think she likes it right now but you know she's to sweet to say anything."

"So long as you know it's your job to know."

"I do."

The two men walked in silence some more, each trying to remain warm in the misty night.

"She knows about your problem?"

"I got a few of them."

"How many of them does she know of?" Henry asked, looking at the taller man through narrowed eyes.

"All of them," Jackson replied evenly. As easy as it would have been to paint the senior MACUSA official as the bad guy here, Jackson new if he was in Henry's place, he would have been much worse.

"She knows about the AA, she knows about the complication with my job. She even knows about all my past relationships. I don't hide things from her Henry." All he received was a nod in acknowledgement as they walked on.

"How'd you suppose the thing with your work ends? Has she got to quit or do you?" Even as the question was asked, Jackson noted how casually the older wizard spoke of Jackson quitting his job in comparison to Victoria's.

"We're still figuring that out," the raven haired male replied honestly, stuffing his hands in his pockets to protects fingers that were starting to turn numb. "She likes her job, she doesn't want to quit. Works crazy hours sometimes, I have to drag her away from- Yeah."

"It's Victoria, you'd have to drag her from anything she was doing, regardless of how much she likes it or not."

Jackson didn't answer, conceding the point.

"And you like your job?"

"Not more than her."

Once again, silence fell over the two men as they walked, Jackson not even bothering to point out various water features and specially designed hedges they were passing. Neither man was pretending this was a tour now.

"She doesn't mess around, if she's told us it means she's serious."

"I love her Henry, I don't think I've loved anyone more in my life. the thought of not being with her," Jackson shook his head as if to negate the vision. "It's not something I like to think about."

The Newbury patriarch appeared to have finally gotten an answer to his liking. The rest of the trip was made in silence, the only sound accompanying them the brisk footsteps that lead the two men back to the porch. It was only when they were at the porch, bathed in it's welcoming glow once more that Henry spoke.

"If you ever hurt her, or become the cause of her unhappiness-"

"I know," Jackson cut him off, his tone making it clear that he would accept any punishment the other man deemed suitable. "So... I do have your blessing?"

Henry merely gave him a pointed look before moving to open the door. He may have gotten his answered this evening but the man was going to make Jackson wait for his.

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» Isn't she lovely (Vickson)
» And they all went to heaven in a lil' row boat (Vickson)
» Take my hand, we'll make it I swear (Vickson)
» Long Time Running (Vickson)
» And yet we are told, seek and ye shall find (Vickson)