Time to Say Goodbye (Victoria)

Subject: Time to Say Goodbye (Victoria) Sun Dec 16, 2018 1:10 pm

Saying goodbye was never going to be easy. Jake had known that from the moment the news had been given to him a few weeks ago. There was nothing easy in goodbye, and why should there be? As the hour had grown later, and the house grew quieter, Jake had sat in his armchair in the lounge, his eyes trained to the sofa where Veronika and he had spent so many evenings in one another's arms. It seemed so long ago now, just a memory it would remain...

The time where Veronika had asked him if she could bring a dog home for the children to grow up with had been the last memory he held. Veronika had started the paperwork for all of that, but had never seen it through... She'd been so excited at the prospect of a puppy, pretending that it was the children who had wanted it really, but Jake had known better, his wife had wanted the puppy just as much, if not more, and he had never been able to say no to her wishes.

His eyes moved from the sofa, away from the memories of that, and all the other moments they'd shared on the sofa, instead falling upon the picture of their wedding day. Ivan's toothy grin was centre stage of the photo, surrounded by the happiness of his parents as they stood beaming at the camera on what Jake had always believed to be the happiest day of his life. He'd been wrong that day, the happiest day of his life was the day his family had become complete, when Adrienne had taken her first breath in this world, and their family had become four.

That had been the best day.

Jake's eyes dipped away from the photo, blurred from seeing the picture, but having it ingrained in his mind as he brought his hands to his face. There was no surprise that they grew wet in that moment, as the man sucked in a deep breath and let it out in slow, shuddering movements.

“Are you ready for forever?”

It had been the softest spoken question in the world, all those years ago now. It had been a question Jake had already known the answer to, because there was nobody on Earth he could think of who he'd rather spend the rest of his life with than Veronika. Already the mother of -- what he'd believed to be at the time -- his first child, Jake had known that there was nobody else he'd wanted to do this with.

"You'd promised forever..." Jake managed, clearing his throat as he'd finished the sentence because his voice was not his own. Too thick with emotion, too raw, it sounded as if it had come from another person, even though that were not possible. Despite the words, though, Jake was not angry with Veronika. She'd made her choice, she'd followed her heart to what she believed to be right, and... even now, he could not think the words and he wouldn't.

"Daddy... who are you talking to?"

Jake's hands moved quickly to dry his cheeks, looking up to find Adrienne had managed her way downstairs quietly to find her dad sat on his own in almost darkness, save for the light in the hallway that was allowing just enough light in.

"No one, darling." Jake assured the witch, before motioning her to him. "Come here, come on."

Adrienne looked around the room for a moment before hurrying over to him, and all but jumping in to his lap as Jake picked her up to sit on his knee.

"What are you doing up at this time?" Jake asked, trying to get his voice to sound normal, not choked up, and hopefully reassuring in that moment. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Adrienne shook her head at the latter. "I couldn't sleep." She admitted, resting her head against his chest. "Ivan said tomorrow is realllllly important, and we have to be big and brave. Why do we have to be big and brave, daddy?"

Jake closed his eyes for a moment, wishing above all else that he could explain the whole notion of what was going to happen tomorrow to his daughter, but he had no idea where to begin to make her understand. Drawing the small child closer to him, Jake ran his fingers soothingly through her hair to try to make this easier.

"Ivan's a little bit right. Tomorrow is really important, but you don't have to be big and brave. Tomorrow we're going to say goodbye to mummy. If you get sad... it's okay. Do you know why?" Jake asked, and Adrienne shook her head a little. "Daddy is very sad that we have to say goodbye. Being sad is okay at this time. But, once we've said goodbye tomorrow... after some time, we can look back at everything we did with mummy and be really happy."

Adrienne's features creased in the dim light, clearly not able to grasp the situation.

"You don't need to worry, Adrienne, everything is going to be okay." Jake tried once more, rocking her gently to try to lull her to sleep.

"Don't be up-" Adrienne started to speak, only to interrupted by a yawn. "-set, Daddy. I'm... here."

Jake smiled sadly as he sung the introduction to Hush Little Baby to his daughter, watching her small frame slowly give in to the tiredness of the evening, and provide him with the comfort Adrienne couldn't have known she was giving at her young age. That... no matter what had happened to their family, he had to remember throughout it all, he still had his children, the most beautiful gifts Veronika had given him. They, and they alone, were what mattered now, and he couldn't lose sight of that.

***

"Being asked to stand here and sum up the life of the woman you have loved deeply for the best part of a decade in no more than five minutes is by no means an easy feat." Jake started, looking around the Church for a moment whilst he cleared his throat of lump that had tried to cut him off short in that moment. "How can you sum someone up in such a short time when they have given you so much? I wasn't sure how I could possibly do that, but I will try my very best to explain the woman I love.

"Veronika came in to my life with... well, it was unusual circumstances. We had both decided to holiday in Rome. Out of the blue, we stumbled upon one another whilst touring the city. We went for drinks, and the rest is history." Jake said with a brave smile, looking to Veronika's fathers with an air of apology at what he'd alluded to, but it was where it had started. "Everyone knows Veronika was quite whimsical. Quick to make decisions, as excitable as her children, and she could often be quite stubborn. I had to work past the latter to get her to agree to date me. She thought, as we worked together, it wouldn't be proper, but eventually, and after many, many gifts to plead my favour, she'd agreed to give us a go.

"I couldn't have been happier, really. Veronika was a beautiful woman, kind, caring, intelligent and, most importantly, she made me feel like I could conquer the world. I haven't, yet, of course." Jake added as a little breather for the room. "But, I had been wrong when I thought that just being with Veronika would mean I was happiest, no, the happiest I would ever be is when she gifted me with the two beautiful children we had together. Veronika built our family through sheer tenacity. She showed everyone how much she wanted the children with her fight to bring them in to this world even when the odds were against us.

"Veronika was a great wife and a perfect mother. She will always be the best mother our children can ever have and I will ensure that everything she would have wanted for our children comes to pass as she watches over us all now." Jake admitted solemnly, looking to the children as he brushed his eyes and cleared his throat once more.

"But, unfortunately, despite how wonderful I believed her to be, how wonderful we all thought her to be, her time with us has been brought to an end." Jake continued, though as he spoke the words his voice wobbled with uncertainty as he looked around the hall that had lost its crispness in his eyes. Brushing at them again, Jake pressed on. "Her time may have been brought to an end here, we may have to say g-goodbye today. But it is not forever. One day... we will all be together again, and Veronika... Veronika will probably chide me for being too cheesy with my speech, or for crying in front of you all.

"So," Jake turned his attention to the coffin beside him. Empty, until the Egyptian authorities released Veronika's body, but a symbolisation of the finalisation of this process for the rest of the family. "Goodbye, Veronika...

"I love you, I will always love you," He added softly to the coffin, pausing only for a moment before he returned to sit beside his children who's eyes were quite red themselves. Ivan trying his best to stay composed, but the whole situation was too much for him. Adrienne had curled in to Victoria tightly, and was sobbing hard in to her aunt's dress.

Jake's ears did not catch the next reading from the front of the room, but it didn't matter. No words would bring Veronika back, he'd resigned himself to that much. It was only as music started to play that Jake came back to his senses to know they were heading back out of the Church.

Time to Say Goodbye filled the room in its full beauty, and as most of the room moved to leave, heading off towards the wake that would follow, Jake sat quietly, just listening to the song. Many people might not have seen the beauty of the song, or the point. Neither he, nor Veronika knew Italian, but the song had spoken to Jake for this moment. They had met in Italy, surely it was fitting that Italy resided in their goodbye too?

It was only as the final notes played through the Church that movement came, the softest of hands upon his shoulder made Jake look up. Alexis Newbury offered the tissue without a word, understanding without needing to speak. Jake wiped his eyes carefully once more, wiped his nose, before standing up and embracing his mom, tightly.

"I love you, mom."

"I know," Alexis had replied softly, rubbing his back in her best effort to soothe her son's pain.

But only time could heal her son's heart.

Time to Say Goodbye

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Subject: Re: Time to Say Goodbye (Victoria) Sun Dec 16, 2018 3:11 pm

The funeral hadn't been easy, watching Jake say goodbye to the woman he'd loved intensely, witnessing the children all but breaking as it finally sunk in that their mommy wouldn't be coming home had broken Victoria's heart as she'd done her very best to soothe their pain. But what good were cuddles and words when you could not bring back the person the children wanted?

It had been a difficult day, followed by a difficult evening when Ivan had finally come to terms with the idea that being Big and Brave was not how he wanted to deal with the whole situation any more. The poor boy had got himself in to a hiccuping mess of tears, that brought him to the point where he couldn't breath properly. Jake had sat with him at that point, and it had perhaps been the years of knowledge of being around children, or perhaps just a natural movement that had brought their mom quickly swooping in to console Ivan and get his breathing back down to normal as she explained to him in a soft whisper about Heaven and how it worked.

Ivan had been soothed after an hour, and intent on testing out the theory that he could talk to his mommy by praying by his bed -- or anywhere else, for that matter -- the boy had accepted getting ready for bed. Adrienne on the other hand had cried herself out during the ceremony, and then gorged herself on the food at the wake afterwards. She was unusually quiet that evening, but nobody was surprised with this outcome. Instead, Victoria had sat with her eating their cookies and drinking their milk, making sure she knew she wasn't alone at this time.

Victoria had put her niece to bed that evening, and it was one of the things the witch was grateful for that day.

"Daddy said he's sad." Adrienne explained to Victoria as the older witch tucked her in before sitting on the edge of the child's bed. "Mommy isn't coming back, so he's sad. I'm sad too."

"I know, I am sad too, but it's going to be okay, I promise." Victoria told the child softly, tucking her hair back from her face ever so gently with a small smile. "Like Nanny said, your Mommy will always be right here." The witch explained, touching Adrienne's chest so the child would know what all the adults meant once more.

"Do you think we will be able to see Zay-lea again?"

"Azalea," Victoria corrected very gently. "Maybe we can. But at the moment, I'm not sure. I have to go back to America, remember?"

"Daddy can take us? Or Nanny!" Adrienne insisted, and Victoria couldn't help but smile sadly at the child's enthusiasm to see her friend. Who could blame the child, either? In the last couple of weeks, the atmosphere in the house hadn't been as it usually was, Azalea had offered Adrienne a time to have some fun, and the child wanted more. It was natural.

"I'll speak to your daddy for you about it, how's that?" Victoria offered, because she needed Adrienne to not upset Jake as much as she wanted Adrienne to be happy. "But, until then, it's our secret? We don't want to spoil the surprise for Ivan!" The witch added, and Adrienne nodded happily, her small hands reaching up to rub at her eyes in the clear sign she was tired. "Now, get some sleep, and I'll see you soon! Night night, love you lots!"

"Wuv you big much!" Adrienne replied groggily, fighting sleep just a little longer before her small frame gave in. Victoria tucked her niece's arms back under the covers gently before moving away from her bed, knowing now she had little left to do in England.

Except talk to Jake.

***

It was Victoria's last day in England. She'd said goodbye to Azalea, thanked her for being such a wonderful host during her extended stay in the country, and promised to invite her to the States when there was a moment's rest to be had. The witch had left the mansion to head to Jake's to say goodbye to her niece and nephew before Jake took her back to the airport. The drive had been short enough, but Victoria wished it could have been longer. As the two of them pulled up in the car park, the witch hesitated as she moved to open the door.

"Jake."

"Vic?"

"I wanted to apologise for not talking to you for so long after finding out about Azalea." The witch started, because it had been an extended silence that hadn't achieved anything in the end. "I'm not going to apologise for being mad at you for not telling me, because that I am not sorry for. But, I shouldn't have ignored you for so long. You did what you thought was best, even if it was really silly, but that doesn't warrant ignoring you."

"It's fine, honestly." Jake replied, giving her a small smile which might have been reassuring had they both not have known that Victoria wasn't finished in that moment. "Keep going..."

"Text Azalea." Victoria pressed on, glancing to her brother for a moment. "Or call her if you prefer. Ask her if she's okay. Offer to take the kids to see her -- she adores your children, I would trust them with her in a heart beat. I know this isn't the best time to be telling you this, I'm not trying to replace Veronika with her -- and, for the record, she's got a boyfriend now, so it's not even as if she would be interested in that way, either. I just... I don't think you realise how much you can help her out, as a friend. I know she hurt you all those years ago, Jake. But... she does care about you. The children love her to pieces, too. Just, try to reach out to her. It would be a shame if after everything you two went through, you couldn't even talk to one another.

"And... when the time comes that you can meet with Mimosa, as her parents, wouldn't it be nicer if you too could tolerate, if not like, one another? You're going to need all the support you can get when it comes to knowing your daughter, and so is Azalea. Just... please think about it, if not for me, then for the children? All of your children."

Jake sat quietly as the words sunk in, and for a moment, Victoria didn't think he was going to reply to the words she'd spoken. But, after a few moments, Jake spoke once more.

"I just feel like it's... wrong, with Veronika just..." Jake tried to explain, but he wouldn't say the word. Victoria knew, though, and she reached out gently for her brother's hand to comfort him.

"I'm not asking you to forget Veronika. I would never ask that. I'm just asking you to be a good person. Be Azalea's friend, if you can." Victoria assured him, and Jake nodded slowly.

"I'll try." He managed, before moving out of the car to denote the conversation was finished. The boot opened and Jake pulled her suitcase out, and slowly, Victoria emerged from the car. Looking up at the airport, the witch was somewhat glad to be going back to America. America, ironically, felt safer. Felt more like home.

Though... Merlin only knew what Jackson had been up to, and the mess she was going to be coming back to.

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