Wont you, come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing (Victoria)

October brought with it the kind of intense debate preparation that almost made Jackson reconsider his career choice. His office was the first test audience to view his prepared remarks and comebacks, and the feedback forms were more full of red than the white paper they were printed on. Maggie, Kendra, Tamra, Tess and even Jenna had highlighted everything that was wrong, could be taken wrongly and would definitely be intentionally misconstrued by the opposition. In the end it felt like any word he spoke in Judith Jameson's direction would be seen as wrong but slowly, slowly everyone had worked together on an air tight script. Yes he would greet Mrs. Jameson, no he would not comment on her looking nice, yes he would wait for her to take her podium first to show respect, no he would not cut across her even if she was wrong or lying. Remembering all the rules was exhausting and most days, Jackson simply left the office bone tired.

Which posed another problem in his workout routine. Refusing to let Victoria make her way home on ehr own, the politician had taken to not only dropping her off after work but sometimes staying over. the couch had long since carved grooves into his back that would never go away but it was a small price to pay for good food and even better company. This of course meant that there was no gym after work, which in turn meant he had to get up early to go for a run and shower before the lawyer woke up to prepare breakfast and then change for work. Everyone at the office had eventually figured out that in the rare event Jackson wasn't reachable through cell or email, a call to Victoria was in order who could always somehow magically find him or deliver the message. It had even gotten to the point where messages for Jackson were often left on her machine, usually from Mac in a particularly impatient tone of voice.

It was in early October, after a ninety minute run which had left the man drenched in sweat and stumbling in through the studio's front door that he had came across one such message. Fall being in full swing, the air outside had certainly erred on the side of chilly, something Jackson had completely forgotten as he'd headed out in a thin white t shirt and his jogging bottoms. The man had returned almost frozen, drenched both from exertion as well as the light rain that had started halfway through his run and remained just slow enough not to urge him back home immediately. The first thing on is mind had been a hot shower and a change of clothes but the blinking light on the phone had stopped Jackson in his tracks. This close to midterms, it was always good to give the phone his first priority.

The man only realized his mistake halfway through the curt message, and by then it was too late. Someone was very upset and that simply would not do. Listening to the rest of the message, the man first reached to delete it. there was no point in he Princess listening to that. Next the wizard checked the time, it was a quarter past seven here so here it would be... Perfect. Picking up the phone, the man dialed the number and found a pleasant voice on the other end.

He was just finishing up the conversation with a "You don't have to worry about a thing, I'll be touch shortly, take care," when the Goblin walked out, stretching her arms and reminding him entirely too much of a child in her oversized pink dressing gown. When she rose an eyebrow his way, Jackson merely shook his head, non verbally telling her not to worry about it. The man disappeared into the shower soon after, only calling to Victoria for a fresh towel when we was done.

Later that week, the plan was put into motion when Jackson called Victoria into his office, requesting she do a few errands for him. The first thing on her list would be to book a room at the Pfister, their honeymoon suite no less. Jackson had also managed to impress upon her the need for flowers, champagne and chocolate in said room. Next on her list was arranging a car from the airport to the hotel for the given date. He had also pointed out that the rented car be a decent one, namely the kind usually employed by visiting dignitaries.

When Jackson had neglected to provide desalt of the visitor, the lawyer had simply asked what name the room be booked under. The politician had pretended to think for a minute.

"You're right, mine is too conspicuous. Good thinking kiddo, just give them yours. Newbury's innocuous enough." vicoria had left without another word. Perhaps it was his imagination but she had purposefully kept away from him the rest of the day, until it was time to go home. That day, he had simply dropper her and said he was heading back tot eh big house. If she wanted to ask why h wouldn't be staying over, she had not show it.

Two days later, Jackson had another request for her, booking a table at Sanford, one of the most expensive eateries in town if not the most expensive. Oh well, might as well put those Fox dollars to good use. Wen the witch had asked how many people the reservation was for, Jackson had merely said a table would do. As an afterthought, he had also added that a bottle of their finest wine be chilled and waiting upon their arrival.

The debate would be taking place soon, keeping the entire office busy which was why no one noticed all the extra arrangements, and why Victoria didn't have time to ponder over them too much either until the day the town car was supposed to go pick their guest up from the airport and drop them tot he Pfister. With still a week left to go, Jackson was no longer panicked, the arrival of the guest giving him new purpose. Jackson spent the day in a particularly good mood, even going as far as to confide in the girls that tonight would be a good good night in song format. A moment which Jenna captured on her phone and immediately uploaded to instagram to increase Jackson's likability factor with young, weird and musical voters respectively.

That evening, before five thirty, Jackson took some time to change, donning a smart shirt and tie and utilizing one of his stupidly designer jackets that usually made an appearance for press interviews. A fresh spritz of mint cologne followed and a quick sweep through his hair saw him out of his office and towards Victoria who was carrying a thousand files in her arms.

"Here, let me try," he laughed, easily taking more than half her files from her and falling into step beside her. Once they had everything loaded in the car, Jackson opened her door for her and closed it after. Tthe music on the radio was the good kind, the volume somewhere between loud and soft, traffic was not too bad and any inkling the witch would get of them not taking their usual route home would be when he took a wrong turn at the intersection and drove to the outdoor market place, specifically a flower stand.

"Would you mind picking out some nice flowers, I don't really know what girls like," he requested sheepishly, pointing to the stall. "And maybe get some chocolates too? Women like that right?"

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Come Plot With Me <3

Wont you, come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing (Victoria) Rsz_mi10

Wont you, come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing (Victoria) Rsz_ja12

Wont you, come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing (Victoria) Rsz_rs13

Election campaigns were a tough tour at the best of times. Victoria knew that from the first election she had aided Jackson to winning two years ago now, you did not rest, sleep was minimal, and the workload was almost crippling. Two years ago, though, it had been easier. It hadn't been in and amongst a flurry of horribly complicated political stories being spun by parties, it hadn't been in and amongst the most horrendous time of her life, and it most certainly hadn't been whilst the opposition's husband had been led in a coma because of Jackson's actions.

Not that she held his actions against him, no, that guilt was hers, but it had gifted Judith Jameson an advantage that they could never, ever go at.

Of course, that did not stop Victoria from working tirelessly to win. Jackson deserved the place much more than Judith ever would. He was definitely the better person, and he would definitely make the right decisions in the future. Judith... Victoria would not trust that woman if her life depended on it. But, even those kind of thoughts were not welcome in the campaign they were running for Jackson, because unlike normal circumstances, their political stand point was going to have to do the talking, not how much they could tear the opposition apart. It went without saying that publicly -- or privately -- attacking a woman who's husband was in hospital was a poor game, which was why they were drilling Jackson so, so hard on his speeches.

Victoria had come up with almost every question she could think of to throw at Jackson, lure him in to a false sense of security, and then have him try to take a shot at the would-be-Mrs Jameson being played by Mac. The first couple of times, he'd taken the bait, not realising that what he'd said could be construed in a manner that would harm his own career. The whole team had worked tirelessly to explain why they were not going to go down that route, and after a couple more run throughs, Jackson had finally found his edge. Not taking baits, and sticking to what was important, winning.

Of course, that didn't mean they were safe, it would take a lot more than Jackson's charm to get through to people. They had to tour the State, sleeping in a tour bus that didn't make Victoria feel safe at all, and that allowed her even less sleep than her already strained sleeping pattern was allowing at the present moment. It was worth it, though, watching the polls tip the balance back in Jackson's favour -- even by the narrowest margins -- after his speeches re-emphasised that the work they were doing was good work.

Coming back home had been a welcome break, and selfishly, Victoria had slept for a whole eight hours the day after they'd returned, feeling somewhat refreshed in the end, Victoria had set back to her work fervently for the man, ensuring they stayed on top of their game.

Something Jackson didn't seem to be doing, Victoria had found when he'd asked her to book a hotel in Milwaukee for him.

She didn't need to ask to know who would be going to the hotel needed for two. Whilst Jackson and Tessa had not gone public, Victoria knew it was only a matter of time. The funds were coming in from Fox News much too easily for her to doubt such things, and the hotel reservation was just further proof. No sign was shown outwardly of Victoria's feelings towards such matters, though, simply asking what name to book the room under for the man. The fact he wanted to use hers had upset the witch greatly, but she'd bit down the distaste and smiled politely, denoting she would do that for Jackson. She would do anything for him, after all.

The request had only escalated. The finest room, champagne and flowers to be left in the room, chocolates. Jackson had opted for the full works, and Victoria couldn't help but feel... jealous of Tessa Grey for getting all of this. But, the thought was quickly pushed away by Victoria, disliking herself immensely for those thoughts even coming to mind. It wasn't Tessa's fault that Jackson had fallen for her, after all, nor... in truth, was it Jackson's fault he felt such things for Tessa.

The room had been booked, and then a few days later, the dinner reservation had come through. Once again, Victoria had gone through the motions and feelings that came with this idea of how Jackson was spending his time, instead of preparing for the biggest debate in his life. Again, Victoria told herself off for even thinking such things.

Victoria hadn't asked him why he wasn't staying, simply because it felt... better to have the difference. Watching the person she loved with another person -- or even knowing he would be with another person -- hurt her chest, made it hard to breathe, and when she looked in to the mirror at the jealous person that resided there, Victoria did not like what she saw. Jackson deserved better than this.

The evening of the reservation had come around, and Jackson had slipped off from his office to change. Victoria had quickly collected all of her things, hoping to catch a ride home with one of the girls if she left a little bit earlier than she normally would. Perhaps she might even have managed it, too, had it not been for the mountain of paperwork she was taking with her for the weekend slowing her down completely in that moment. Jackson caught her not halfway to the door, taking more than half the pile and following beside her down to the cars. His was the obvious choice, and Jackson put all of her papers down in the trunk. Resigning herself to the fact she would be sharing the trip with Jackson, Victoria got in to the passenger seat and buckled in.

Unusually quiet -- even with the good music on -- Victoria had checked her phone to find little to distract her. A couple of rubbish emails about what was coming up on Netflix soon -- as if she had time to watch anything at the moment -- and a voucher for Victoria's Secret's new perfume brand distracted her for a short while, and as the witch looked up out the front windscreen, the area of Milwaukee was not the familiar ride home.

Glancing across at Jackson -- not out of fear, but curiosity -- the witch was about to ask where they were going when Jackson pulled up outside a florists.

"Would you mind picking out some nice flowers, I don't really know what girls like,"

"Of course," Victoria replied automatically, hands reaching for the buckle of her seatbelt. The addition of chocolates made Victoria smile back. "You're generalising!" She reminded him from their copious amounts of dos and don'ts for the debate. Regardless, Victoria got out of the car and hurried out to the shop. Five minutes later, the witch was returning with a bouquet filled with irises, and a neatly boxed selection of chocolates. It was somewhere on the Fox website that Tessa's favourite flowers were Irises -- an update that had replaced her favourite being roses from her husband -- which had been used to make the CEO of Fox look much more realistic.

It would, in truth, make Jackson look like a better... boyfriend?

Whatever the case, Victoria tucked them safely behind her seat before climbing back in to the passenger seat.

"I assume you don't want to be disturbed this weekend unless it is crucially important?" Victoria asked as Jackson began driving once more. "I don't think there will be anything for you to worry about, of course, but I'll try to make sure you're not bothered whilst you're busy..."

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"Ah, don't worry about it," Jackson waved off her comment about not wanting to be disturbed. "I already told the girls that unless the sky is falling, my phone at least is off limits." Of course he hadn't been brave enough to tell that to Mac's face, which was why it was in an email the Campaign Manager would only find once she'd gotten home and was not within hitting reach of the senator.

Once the princess had stashed the flowers in the back, she climbed into the vehicle again, Jackson leaning over to strap her in safely before he hit the gas and put the car into gear. The music started once more and Jackson began to hum along, hoping the good mood would carry over to his driving companion. She really needed to lighten up. "Actually, I was hoping you could come with me to the hotel first," he asked, not really waiting for her response as he took the next exit back into town instead of where he would have had to go to get to his old place.

"I have some stuff waiting in the lobby and there might be paperwork I don't want to deal with. Pleeeeeease," he added with a cheeky grin, trying to make her smile. Regardless of her answer, the man drove smoothly along, promising her pizza when this was all done. The wizard was determined to stay off the topic off work. No, Victoria would not have to think about work for the next few days.

They pulled into the Pfister's parking lot easily enough, Jackson taking the slot he usually did in the valet paring area, one of the perks of the job. Collecting his keys, phone and coat, he motioned for the tiny witch to get the flowers and walked into the reception area where he was met with the overenthusiastic manager himself.

"Ah Senator Blake, Miss Newbury, always a pleasure. We pride ourselves on how often guests of your esteem make use of our services." Like most slick businessman, the manager had learned Victoria's name over the year too, knowing she was the one who made all the arrangements for the senator.

"Has our guest arrived safely?" Jackson asked while his legal adviser looked for the paperwork that wasn't there. "I hope the Pfister left no room for grievances."

"Of course not, in face, let me show you up to the room myself, the best honeymoon suite we have to offer if you'll please follow me." The manager's insistence left little room for contradictions as Jackson and Victoria followed him to the large glass elevators leading to the more luxurious rooms. Throughout the short journey, the manager kept offering assurances that they would be afforded the greatest of privacies and that the walls were indeed sound proof.

"Thank you, that will be all," Jackson finally dismissed the man once they stood in front of the room. Taking the hint, the manager disappeared and Jackson looked sheepishly over to the witch.

"Well, you're here so you might as well say hi." With that, he reached over to ring the doorbell despite the "do not disturb" sign clearly plastered on the thick wooden door.

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Come Plot With Me <3

Tucking away the information that the rest of the office already knew not to contact Jackson for the weekend made Victoria feel a little bit better. At least she wouldn't have to make excuses for where their boss had gone off to for the weekend and try not to sound... well, not too happy with it all.

Those thoughts, though, were pushed away as Jackson asked her to come in to the lobby with him. "I don't know, Jackson, I really would like to get on home. I have-" But the please, mixed with the childish grin was enough to give Victoria pause for thought. The promise of pizza only adding to the notion that she would allow him. "Fine, fine, but it's going to have to be a large pizza!" The witch countered, though they both knew she would struggle to get through half of large pizza, even if she tried her absolute hardest.

The lobby turned out to not have any paperwork for Victoria to deal with, though, not that she had expected much having dealt with the bookings herself with the manager who greeted them so warmly. Victoria was ready to excuse herself, and hail an Uber back to her flat, but they were being swept off up to the honeymoon suite together. A light blush crept in to the witch's cheeks. Did the manager think? No, he couldn't think such things. He knew that Jackson had a guest upstairs, and he surely didn't think... The whole idea sparked a whole barrel of unwanted thoughts in to the witch's mind, and she simply followed mutely up to the suite that she'd booked for Jackson.

"Well, you're here so you might as well say hi."

Glancing at the departing manager's back, Victoria wished she could find some polite way of excusing herself. As nice as Tessa Grey was, Victoria didn't wish to intrude on the weekend that Jackson had planned for. "Don't you want to hold the fl-"

"Victoria!"

Victoria's head snapped around to the face at the door, knowing that voice anywhere as she took in the petite frame of her mom before her. "Mom?" Victoria breathed ever so softly in that moment, almost feeling weak at the knees at the sight of her mom in the room. It didn't make sense... the witch could not fathom what was going on as her mom pulled her in a warm, sideways embrace to stop the flowers from getting crushed. "Is dad here?" Victoria asked, looking over her mom's shoulder to try to see.

"Of course he is, come on in!" Alexis insisted, letting go of her daughter and then moving to greet Jackson with a warm embrace and a kiss on the cheek. There was a small conversation going on between them as Victoria moved past her mom, hurrying forth at the sight of her dad and giving him a hug which he reciprocated in a very protectively firm manner. Reassuring her of so many things in that moment that Victoria hadn't known she needed to be reassured of.

"What are you both doing here? I didn't know you were coming!" Victoria insisted, and then her eyes landed on Jackson, and she realised what had happened, and how very, very wrong she'd been in every assumption she'd made since the topic of booking this room had come up. He'd planned to surprise her, and he'd succeeded, she hadn't had an inkling her parents would be here.

"Jackson invited us over," Alexis supplied, though it was unnecessary. "He says you're working much too hard, and you needed a break, so, he brought us here so you would have to take a little time out." The fondness bestowed upon the explanation was clear enough to show that Mrs. Newbury completely agreed with this point, but also how grateful she was to the male stood beside her for allowing them to come over despite the busy period they were in coming up to the elections.

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Jackson knew the truth would be revealed in only a matter of moments, From the time it took to ring the doorbell to the moment the door opened, revealing Alexis Newbury, the man had to do his best to hide his grin. The plan had gone off without a hitch. Weeks ago, Jackson had come home to a rather cross message from the woman currently embracing Victoria, airing grievances about the younger Newbury not coming home as often and how her niece and nephew would grow up and she would have missed it all. Not wanting the princess to listen to that and get sad, Jackson had done the only thing that made sense.

"Alexis, what a pleasure it is," he smiled the usual charming smile he saved for political events. "If I had known Victoria's mother was so beautiful, I would have insisted we invite you two sooner." The soft rosy blush on he older witch's cheeks was exactly what he'd been aiming for as he moved to greet Henry. A lifelong MACUSA worker, the head of the Newbury clan was exactly as Jackson had expected him to be, quiet, warm and solid. Victoria had clearly missed him from the way she clung to the man and once again, Jackson realized this was possibly the best way in the world to spend all that Fox money, making the Goblin happy. The elections were still up in the air, but this, this was something no one could take away from them.

He simply stood by as Alexis explained how he'd invited the couple over, done all the arrangements and kept it a surprise form his legal counsel. She may have added a few detail to flesh out the story but Jackson didn't mind, he could sense a legend in the making. "Indeed," he agreed when Mrs. Newbury spoke o how hard Victoria had been working of late. "Which is exactly why I have given instructions to the office to not have Victoria disturbed all weekend and Monday if she wants to take the day off. We can spare her for a bit, and everyone wants her to spend some time chilling out with her family."

As if to underlie his point, he motioned towards the huge flower arrangement already waiting for the Newburies in their room in addition to the bunch Victoria had gotten them. The card on the arrangement denoted it as from the entire office and addressed to the garnets of their favorite colleague. Mr. and Mrs. Newbury deserved to know how well their daughter was liked and admired.

"And now, if you'll excuse me," he finished, knowing when it was time to bow out. "Victoria has a lot of catching up to do with you guys, though I do hope everyone will be well rested enough to join me for dinner in a few hours. I'm afraid we took the liberty of making reservations without asking you." A sheepish look followed before nods were going all around accepting the invitation. Jackson took his leave not long after, leaving the tiny witch with her family.

And returning to the big house and its ample gym. He had three hours to kill and his treadmill beckoned.

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Come Plot With Me <3

The explanation that came from Alexis was filled with the fact Jackson had arranged all of this without her own knowledge. How Jackson had liaised with them, and paid for the whole trip -- which her mom was so, so thankful for as she spoke. Jackson had, apparently, agreed with her mom's statement of her not seeing them enough, and it had not been brought to a second thought by any of the others to delay even further.

Even though they were slap bang in the middle of a political campaign that really needed all of Victoria's focus.

But Jackson was quick to reassure that they could spare her for a few days, and though that might be true, Victoria would be making the lost time up just as soon as her parents had departed, to ensure they didn't miss something.

Throughout all of the explanations, though, Victoria couldn't help but have one simple feeling towards it all. The appreciation she felt for Jackson in that moment would not be able to be put in to words, but she would try to find some way of repaying him yet again for everything he had done for her.

After the explanations had been finished, Jackson had politely excused himself with the promise of seeing them later for dinner. The three of them had bid the man a safe journey home before letting him go, and then the three of them had sat catching up in the time until the dinner reservations, only pausing to allow them all to change -- whether it had been Jackson or her mom who had opted for the outfit, Victoria couldn't have said, but everything had been thought through to the smallest of detaisl for the evening. For once, Victoria was glad she hadn't had to organise it all -- even if she had made the reservations without truly knowing what it was for.

The three of them had moved down to the restaurant three hours later, only having to wait briefly at the bar for Jackson to catch up before they were seated. Where her mom and dad had opted for Champagne for the evening -- a celebration of the reunion -- Victoria had simply opted for sparkling water to ensure Jackson wasn't sat on his own around alcohol. Alexis had paused for a moment when Victoria had told her as they checked their makeup in the mirror before leaving for dinner, before gently agreeing not to make any offers of alcohol or pushing a glass upon the man who had organised it all. No questions were raised, no comments were made, just the quiet acceptance of the situation.

The starters had gone down well, the conversation had been easy to get lost in. Victoria's dad had asked questions of Jackson's key policy ideas, and gently agreed or disagreed with each of the ones that had been provided. There were few differences in the opinions given by both men, but, as always, there were some points they wouldn't agree on. Alexis and Victoria made sure to smooth it over as necessary, though, ensuring no political debates ensued whilst having dinner. Most noteably, though, the current situation with MACUSA and the information moving in and out of the country had been shut down by Alexis after her husband had shown a little bit too much of an affiliation for keeping America's borders locked, reminding him that their son, and grandchildren, were all in the UK, and if things kept tightening up, they would be forced to choose between their home country and their family.

Henry had conceded quietly, whether through a subtle look from his wife, or else a jab with the foot under the table, before conversation moved to lighter topics. Jake and the children's wellbeing was brought to the table, Victoria listening aptly to the information on how both of the children were doing at school. Ivan was excelling in almost all of his subjects, which Victoria was not surprised about, whilst Adrienne had done some of the cutest things in the world that made Victoria's chest swell with pride.

"How's your mom, Jackson?" Alexis asked, sipping her Champagne carefully as she looked across at Jackson. "Victoria sent us some of the cutest pictures from her stay at Christmas, Greenlake looks fantastic at that time of year. Do you visit often?"

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Jackson had expected to find comfort in his gym, comfort from being alone after having left the Goblin with her parents. yet a tight nervous energy inside him kept him from feeling alone all through the two hour workout. Perhaps it was the nerves from the upcoming midterms, perhaps it was the anticipation of seeing Tessa again soon, perhaps it had nothing to do with either. Whatever it was, Jackson finally gave in to it and elf the gym, heading for a fresh shower and a change of clothes. A suit would be too formal but a plain shirt to casual. In the end, Jackson decided on a crisp white work shirt and a striped black and grey tie over ark designer trousers. As a final touch, the man added cuff links no one would ever notice but what the hell.

The drive over to the restaurant was quick and blank, leaving Jackson's mind to wonder as he sat through a third red light. The car in front of him had a "Jameson, 2024" sticker and he tried his best not to scowl at it. America was America because people were entitled to their opinion, as bullshit as those opinions might be. The man had almost cleared up his mood as he stopped in front of the eatery, handing his keys to the valet who took them with a little too much reverence. The little bit that was left to clear vanished instantly when he saw the party awaiting him at the bar area.

It was a pure moment of joy, watching his princess clad in pink again, making every other thought vanish from his head. the smile in Jackson's face as he greeted Mrs. Newbury with a polite peck on the check was in no way forced.

Conversation flowed easily, a pleasant surprise for the politician. Victoria's parents were more focused on her than him which was good as that was the purpose of the visit. He made sure to comment each time he felt a contribution of the tiny witch's needed acknowledgement. Apparently the Goblin wasn't a fan of tooting erh own horn and hand't managed to convey adequately enough how she kept the entire office running, something that would not stand in the current setting. Though of course telling her parents how hard the midget worked spawned renewed concern for her health which Victoria waved away, pointing to herself as it to say her health spoke for itself.

Henry Newbury was a decent sort, good ole American blood that hand't been watered down by living in the UK. Jackson quite agreed with him on stricter borders and keeping the outsiders out but Clearly Mrs. Newbury shared a different opinion. The next minute, Jackson felt something tap against his calf, belatedly realizing it was Victoria's attempt to kick her father.

He really had to teach the kid how to kick.

It was as they were talking over dessert that the first bit of awkwardness happened. Alexis was in the midst of telling stories about children which Jackson didn't particularly mind as long as their father wasn't mentioned too heavily in the conversation. It was odd really, the Newburies seemed perfectly pleasant, humble people and yet they had a jerk for a son. But Jackson supposed there was always that one bad apple in a bunch. Pictures of Ivan and Adrienne (clearly their father had chosen the pansy, un-American names) went ardent the table, the kids managing to melt his heart despite it all. In one of the pictures, he could just make out a tall brunette in the background, cavalry not the focus but Jackson would know that silhouette anywhere.

"Merida is fine, thabnk you. And I try to visit as often as I can but we get busy sometimes. Though I plan to fly her out here for the midterms. I'll probably need the support if we don't make it to the finish line," he answered before moving on to a question of his own. "And how's Miss Azalea doing these days, I hear she's doing a whole better now than she was... two years ago." For the first time that evening, Alexis who always had something to say, remained quiet while Henry busied himself with his apple pie. When it looked like he wasn't going to get an answer, Victoria chimed in, saving the conversation and telling everyone about the former Nightshade being at Hogwarts and how they texted often. Why the subject of Miss Azalea would be touchy, the man didn't know but he left it for now. Conversation resumed when Alexis alleged she knew the recipe they were tasting, leading to a discussion of her cooking and Jackson jokingly begging her to please give Victoria some tips on what to do in the kitchen.

After the meal, they were showed out respectfully with polite requests to come again, no mention of a bill being made. Henry tried a little but when it was clear no one would come to collect anything, he had to concede. Retrieving his car keys from the Valet, Jackson insisted on not only dropping them back to their hotel but also taking the longer route, showing them sites in and around Milwaukee and assuring them it was a Friday so he didn't have to be up early. They din't need to know he would be up at five to go on his usual jog. The fifteen minute ride to the Pfister took almost an hour and a half but by the time they pulled into the hotel parking lot, both Alexis and Henry were thoroughly satisfied that they had seen as much of the city through a car window as they could.

"Victoria, would you like a ride home or would you prefer to stay here with your parents," Jackson asked after wishing them goodnight. "I asked for a room on standby if you want to be closer to them for the next couple days."

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Come Plot With Me <3

The evening had been wonderful, relaxing even as the four of them sat talking about almost anything other than work. Victoria had missed this, there was no need to deny that from anyone gathered, but this was the joys of living in another continent to your loved ones, and working a demanding job that gave you little and less time away from the office. Not that she would ever resent her career, but these moments were much too brief, and needed to be held on to tightly.

Even when Jackson stepped on sticky subjects that left both of her parents a little quieter than expected.

Another time, perhaps they would talk about Azalea with more information, but for the evening, the subject was gently put aside with a few details, but Victoria would make note to let Jackson know more of Azalea when they were away from her family.

Dinner finalised, and the four of them had returned to the car together, allowing Jackson to take them on a tour of the city. Where Jackson's knowledge didn't quite hold, Victoria offered explanations of her own to enhance the tour, and an hour and a half later, the four of them had pulled up outside her parents hotel. Helping both of her parents from the car, and bidding each of them goodnight, the quartet were almost put to pause when Jackson asked where she would like to stay.

Having not prepared for the stay, and having not thought of heading somewhere other than her apartment for the evening, the question had thrown the witch. Her eyes had turned quizzically to the politician and for a moment, the struggle of whether she wanted to sleep in her own bed, or be closer to her parents was apparent. The delay was enough, though.

"You don't need to stay here, darling, we'll call you in the morning and arrange to meet up after breakfast." Alexis insisted, her eyes flitting fondly between her daughter and the man beside her with...

"I don't mind st-"

"Nonsense, there's no need for extra expenditure. You go home, we'll see you in the morning." Alexis resolved, giving her daughter a tight embrace and a kiss on the cheek before looking back to Jackson once more. "Thank you for this evening, and for looking out for our daughter so much, we really do appreciate it." The older witch would finalised, before returning to her husband's side, linking her fingers with his, and turning back towards the hotel.

Watching until they were safely out of sight, Victoria's smile broke in once more before she turned to Jackson, pulling him in to the tightest hug she could muster, her head gently resting against the man's chest. "Thank you," the witch managed, not expanding on that because there was absolutely no need for her to explain. Jackson would know, he always seemed to know where, how and what she needed. Tonight had just proved that more, and no words could ever, truly justify everything he had done for her.

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