Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake)

Subject: Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:42 pm

Beep, beep, beeeep!

The car's automatic system came to life as Azalea put it on self drive mode, entering the pick up lane. Soon enough there would be two children to attend to without worrying if she was driving in a straight line. Monday afternoon pick ups were busy enough without her getting a telling of from whichever teacher was in charge of organizing the children's home lines.

The witch sighed a breath of relief as the car pulled in expertly at the pick up area, only to notice that Ivan and Adrienne, who usually spotted ehr coming and rushed tot eh parking sot, were not there. Their teacher was though, and she waved to Azalea with a smile. "Mrs. Newbury, hang on, the children are just saying goodbye to friend."

"That's alright," the brunette responded with a smile of her own. A sentiment that was not mimicked by the car behind her which let out a huge honking sound. In her rear view mirror, Azalea spotted Katherine Harrison's blonde head and impatient scowl.

"Nag on, let me get Scott first," the teacher said apologetically as Ivan finally spotted the black minivan and motioned for Adrienne to come along. The little girl however had quite the social circle around her and wasn't budging.

Having dealt with Katherine the teacher returned. "I know it's supposed to be a pick up and go lane, but the children are celebrating today," she explained, prompting Azalea to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, we're very proud of both of them. Adrienne made a beautiful card for Mother's Day in her class and Ivan's essay went over so well, we've had a children's magazine offer to publish it. I've given him the details o pass on to you and Mr. Newbury of course."

"That's fantastic,"Azalea replied warmly, proud fo the little boy's achievement. "He's such a wordsmith, I'm sure any magazine would be lucky to have his work."

Just then, both children came running up to the car, bidding their teacher farewell and clambering into the back. Azalea made sure they were all strapped in before she waved goodbye to the teacher and let the car navigate out of the lane, not bothering to note Katherine's vehicle so close to hers, it was bordering on dangerous.

"Zay-Lea, why is Mrs. Harrison following us?" Adrienne asked, turning her head around to see the grey minivan at their heels.

"She must be in a hurry to get out of here," the witch guessed as she turned to the side, letting the car behind go first. "But forget about that, I heard there is some important news at school. Anyone want to tell me?"

That was all the prompting Adrienne needed. The eight year old immediately launched into the awesome card she had made Azalea for mother's day, describing the amount of glitter glues she had used and how she had written and spelled out all the words herself. The child had made a list on the card, a list of reasons why her mommy was the best and she wasn't shy about recounting the list. On the cover, she had drawn a cartoon Azalea and herself, walking hand in hand.

Listening to Adrienne refer to her as "mommy" made the witch glad she had put the car on autopilot. The emotions unfurling inside her would not have made her a reliable driver. Adrienne's talkative nature saw them almost to the house, but when the child finally stopped to reach for her juice box, Azalea took the opportunity to turn the spotlight on Ivan.

"And how about you kiddo? Got something good to tell us?"

Ivan looked at ehr in he rear view mirror, and then replied a little stiffly "Not really, we're too old to do cards in class."

"Did you guys do anything else?"

"Nope."

The witch decided to leave it. If Ivan wasn't comfortable telling her, she could wait until he was. Pulling the black minivan into the driveway, Azalea helped the children out and made sure all the bags were collected before they ran into the house. "Guys, change first, then snacks."

The children did as were instructed, Adrienne now much more cooperative about her uniform that she had been allowed trousers after the playground incident which had ruined her pinafore. "And remember the uniforms go in the laundry, not on the floor of the bathroom." The warning was only for one child really but Azalea had never seen fit to single either of the Newbury children out. The two would return to the kitchen to find Adrienne's card taking place of pride on the large refrigerate.

The next half an hour was spent munching on cookies and more catching up, after which, the children were set to their homework. As always, Adrienne welcomed the news with a groan while Ivan was already ready to pull his books from his bag. No permission letters or words of his recent achievements appeared from the boy's backpack though, making Azalea even more curious.

Had he hidden the papers? And if so, why go to so much trouble to hide his accomplishment from her. Still, the witch remained silent on the issue, instead helping Adrienne with her twelves times table. The child was still not convinced that times table were a long con. In her head, if one wanted to multiple, why didn't they just add up the numbers.

"Come on sweetie, twelve times six is?"

The child's face turned thoughtful as she tried to add twelve six times, only to lose her focus halfway through as they heard the front door unlock. "DADDY" she shouted, jumping off her chair and running to the entry way where Jake had probably just arrived.

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Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Rsz_gr10

Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Rsz_az10

Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Rsz_li10

Subject: Re: Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Thu Nov 26, 2020 8:08 am

"Newbury."

"Yes sir," Jake replied, turning back towards the Auror offices he'd just emerged from to face his senior officer. It was home time, officially, but Merlin knew that if something came up now, he would be called back in to the offices, briefed and be out to whatever emergency had arisen in the last few minutes. It would mean he wouldn't be heading home on time to the children, to Azalea. The thought of which made him want to keep walking away, but he knew what he'd signed up for, and that meant sacrifices.

"You still haven't replied to the Ministry Ball invitation." The officer explained, making Jake's shoulders relax in that moment. It wasn't additional work. "Will you be coming?"

"Uhm... I'm not sure yet, sir." Jake replied honestly. "I need to see if I can find someone to watch the children for me." That much was true, but he also hadn't asked Azalea if she would attend with him. The thought scared him a little more than he would ever wish to admit to. "I'll try to find out tonight, sir, and get the reply back to you.

"Good man, have a good evening."

With a goodbye in return, Jake had headed for the exit of the ministry without another delay.

***

Twenty minutes later, Jake had arrived home, the car making easy use of the portals, and pulling in to the drive just before half past six that evening. The man had collected his bag from the car, and headed to the front door with the excitement that usually crept upon him on a Monday evening. Coming home to his small family would never cease to get old. The door had barely admitted him to the house before an excited Adrienne bounded in to him, jumping up for a hug before Jake had time to put his bag down just inside the door.

"Hello to you, too, princess!" Jake replied to the excited squeal, placing a kiss atop his daughters head as he finally managed to put his bag down without losing his grip on the child.

"I'm not a princess!" Adrienne refuted, wiggling herself free from his arms before she tottered off towards the kitchen knowing he would follow. "Zay-lea put something on the fridge!" The child added, as Jake moved to greet his son with a soft ruffle of his hair and a question of whether Ivan was alright. The boy replied with a single syllable of 'fine', much too engrossed in his homework to look up. With a soft smile, and the insistent tugging on his arm from Adrienne, Jake moved from the boy's side to instead go to see what the fuss being made was.

Only to be stopped in his tracks when he saw the card.

It wasn't displeasure that stopped the man, it was the worry that what Adrienne had written upon the card had never been discussed. Not openly. Neither one of them had anticipated that Adrienne might-

"What do you think, Daddy?" Adrienne insisted impatiently, jarring Jake back to the here and now.

"I think, that this is something really beautiful." Jake told the child, moving closer to see the card, and open it. Inside were a list of reasons Azalea was the best mommy in Adrienne's opinion, and as Jake read through the list, the smile on his lips grew, the kid was not wrong in her reasoning, and Jake found himself... all too calm with the situation.

Adrienne seemed happy enough with that, hurrying off to the lounge to play with her toys -- despite both Jake and Azalea's attempts to get her back to her homework, she wasn't going to have it. Conceding that there wasn't long until dinner, anyway, Jake and Azalea had returned to the kitchen to finalise the dinner preparations, the man finally moving to press a kiss to the witch's lips now he had a moment to give the witch.

"Hi," he greeted softly as he pulled away, taking in the instructions Azalea gave him for helping get dinner ready, and working diligently on those tasks. After collecting the knives and forks and putting them on the table, Jake had emerged in the kitchen once more. "I keep forgetting to ask." He started, collecting plates from the cupboard ready to dish the food up. "But... there's a ball at the Ministry in May, and... well, would you like to come? As my date for the evening? The invitation is somewhere, with the dates, I need to check it, but... I'd really like it if you would come with me. Think on it."

The last was said because he knew that it wouldn't be quite so easy as a simple yes. There were other things to consider, other people to consider, and Jake didn't want to put the pressure on Azalea to make a knee jerk decision right now.

Which, wasn't going to happen anyway as they plated up the food, each taking two plates through to the dining room, and the children consuming all of their attention once more.

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~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Subject: Re: Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:19 pm

The witch found a soft smiling blossoming on her face as Adrienne ran off to greet her dad. Jake's arrival at this time usually meant homework was over, something Adrienne had clearly decided when running off. Azalea gathered up her books and stationary, returning them to the girl's bag before Jake was dragged in to look at the card on the refrigerate. The brunette hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she released at at the Auror's declaration of the card being beautiful.

She also didn't fail to notice Ivan stiffening a little at his dad's words.

Of course, she realized as she moved to the kitchen. The change would not be as easy for the older Newbury who actually remembered his mom. It was absolutely normal for him to feel defensive at his sister simple declaration such a big change in their relationship dynamic.

"Hi you," Jake entered the kitchen, finally coming to greet her with a soft kiss. As expected, he was ready to help out. However the witch assured him she had everything under control and he could go wash up and then lay the table for dinner. Jake obeyed without question as Azalea finished up, giving the pot of Chili a last stir. The rice cooker in the corner had done it's job, fluffy white rice being kept warm. Fresh cut rolls were also similarly being kept warm in the oven for anyone who wished to have the chili sloppy Joe style. In another corner, a bowl of mostly green rested for ehr own dinner. Ever since her conversation with Jake on Valentines Day and the arrival of ehr old notes, Azalea had been trying to at healthier. It was going to be a difficult chore to give up fried food but she was at least going to try.

Jake returned soon and started on setting the table while Azalea wrangled the kids. It didn't take long until all four of them were siting around the able, Adrienne looking at Azalea's salad plate quizzically.

"Why is Zay-Lea not eating the chili," she asked no one in particular, only for the brunette to give the child a smile.

"So you don't have to kiddo."

"Yay, you're the bestest!!!" Adrienne declared before digging in.

While everyone ate and joked, the witch's focus remained on Ivan who carefully spread the chili on his rolls, so unlike his dad and sister digging into their pile of rice and chili. The behavior itself wasn't out of the ordinary, not on its own. Azalea had simply gotten better at watching him now to know when he was unsure or uncomfortable.

Once dinner was concluded, the chlordane were sent upstairs for their baths, leaving Jake and Azalea in the kitchen once more.

"I keep forgetting to ask."

"Hmm?" the Potion Mistress raised an eyebrow while he explained about the ball.Her mind was temporarily swayed from Ivan as Jake described the event and asked if she would want to go with him.

"Jake Newbury, as you asking me out on a date?" Her lips curled into a teasing grin, the witch contemplated him for a minute before throwing caution to the wind. "Of course I'll go. It's just an evening event."

The tone she used may have been teasing but it was to assure him that they would probably be okay. It was a work thing, and going to events wasn't an admission of guilt. She had been to plenty of places with Jacques Clement. This wouldn't be any different.

Or so she told herself as she moved forwards to tap his nose playfully.

A familiar grin began at the corner of his mouth but was immediately swept away when they heard a squeal from upstairs. Adrienne had probably tried to get in the bath without checking the temperature of the water.

"You go, I got this," Azalea assured him as she turned to the pile of dirty dishes.

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Subject: Re: Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:29 pm

"Jake Newbury, as you asking me out on a date?"

The sheepish smile that touched the man's lips would attest to the fact that yes, he was asking her on a date. As brazen as it might be, Jake couldn't see the harm in them going together. If not as a couple, then as friends, at least? The idea to add that bit to his question of her attendance lingered for a moment before he pushed that thought away, not wanting to make the situation awkward. Not that he needed to worry, the reply came a moment later, that she would accompany him, and the breath he'd been holding was let out slowly as the relief flooded through his body.

The tap to the nose that followed almost made Jake forget the rest of the evening, the sheepish smile that had been upon his features only moments more starting to shift to something much more confident-

The squeal from upstairs paused all of that, though, Jake's eyes darting to the bathroom above.

"You go, I got this,"

Jake had barely heard those few words, his feet already moving away from the kitchen towards the stairs. The stairs were taken two at a time by the Auror, before he turned to the bathroom. Adrienne sat on the floor mat beside the bath, her foot pulled up towards her chest as she blew on her toes.

"What did you do?" Jake asked gently as he arrived, kneeling down beside the witch. Taking her foot from her, Jake checked the toes.

"I gots an ouchie. The water was too hot!" Adrienne explained, clearly not of the opinion of her own fault in that moment.

"Did you check the water like Azalea and I showed you to do?" Jake continued, quite sure no damage had been done, and that the child was merely having the after effects of the mild shock that came with slightly too hot water. The reply came with Adrienne looking thoroughly put out in return. "It's okay, daddy does it sometimes, too, when the shower gets too hot." He soothed, moving to the top of the bath. A quick check of the water made it clear no cold water had been introduced to the tub.

Turning on the cold tap, Jake added some bubbles to the bath, too, swirling the water around until it was at a temperature acceptable for the child to climb in to. From there, the man had stayed with his daughter, splashing and playing with her numerous boat toys in the bath and making up stories whilst they played.

Across the hall, Jake heard the other bathroom door open, and Ivan padding softly across to his room, closing the door softly behind him as he went.

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~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Subject: Re: Oh Darling Don't You Ever Grow up (Jake) Thu Dec 24, 2020 7:18 am

The small family's conservative dish usage made quick work of the washing up downstairs. Azalea even managed to clean the counters and make her and Jake's nightly drink before she ran out of work to do. Keeping his beer and ehr glass chilled in the fridge, the witch decided to head upstairs to heck on the kids.

Up the flight of stairs and three steps down the corridor leading to the children's room confirmed that Jake was still helping Adrienne in the bath. All the pirate noises were enough to make her smile while shaking her head slightly. Jake never said it, but the brunette knew he was waiting for his youngest to develop more feminine interests. Azalea wasn't though. The Potion Mistress was nearly certain that at eight, little Adrienne's personality was near enough formed. There had been no discussion over Adrienne's new uniform consisting of trousers when her pinafore had been torn. Whether it was because Jake hadn't noticed or didn't care at this stage, Azalea did not know.

Almost instinctively, the brunette moved into Ivan's room, always a testament to order and organization when compared to his sister's. As expected, his books were stacked neatly on his study table and his bag already packed for school tomorrow, waiting on his little chair. His puzzles in the midst of being worked on were placed carefully on the shelves while completed once boxed up and carefully stored under his bed. No slivers of clothes peeked out of his cupboard doors and his pillows were arranged perfectly on the boy's bed.

In fact, the only thing that looked out of place was his duvet, slightly askew in one corner. Moving to correct it more out of habit than anything else, Azalea reached for the thick material, only to hear a rustling. Curious, she tugged on the duvet again, only to see a standard large brown envelope slide into view.

So this was where the essay and teacher's note had disappeared to.

Freeing the thick envelope from the duvet, Azalea sat down at the very edge of the bed. Perhaps it would have been better to respect Ivan's privacy and let the documents be. But he was only eleven and if there was a problem... Not letting her mind go down that path, she pulled out the first piece of paper, the publishers letter inviting Ivan Newbury to contribute to their magazine. The second letter was one from his class teacher, proclaiming how proud they were of Ivan and reiterating the offer. The note insisted on a parent's signature. Thankfully, that column was still blank, Ivan had not progressed to forgery.

Finally, Azalea managed to extricate a few stapled sheets of paper, the infamous essay. It took less than wo seconds t see why Ivan had been reluctant to share his good news witht eh family. The very fist line of his composition gave it away.

My Mother

I remember my mother, Veronika Holland-Newbury, like a dream...

Azalea continued to read, immersing herself in the little boy's writing. She was halfway through the second page when she heard the door of the bedroom snap too late and a panicked "Hey!" from the boy currently standing in his towel.

"Oh no, sweetie it's okay, I was just reading-"

"That was mine!" Ivan blurted out, torn between extending a hand to snatch the sheaf of papers from her and keeping his modesty intact by furiously holding on to his towel.

"I know, here, I'm putting it back, look," Azalea tried to calm the child, carefully inserting everything back into the envelope. Ivan watched carefully, his face sullen as she closed the flap of the envelope. "Do you want it under your blankets or?"

When he didn't reply, Azalea rose form the bed, walking over to the desk and placing the envelope there. When Ivan still didn't speak, she changed her route to his closet, pulling out a pair of pajamas he hadn't laid out before his bath.

Silently he let Azalea help him dress for bed, trying to decide which way to play this. She could see confusion in his eyes. Hurt too. But most of all, the little child seemed lost.

Finally, when she was buttoning his shirt, he mumbled something incoherent.

"Pardon?"

"Are you mad?"

"Of course not darling, why would I be mad?"

No reply came as Azalea patted the front of his shirt, signifying that he as all dressed. "Shall we tuck you in?" she asked, and upon his nod, took his hand gently, guiding him to the bed.

"I wanted to tell you and Dad... when I first wrote it," Ivan confessed, looking anywhere but as her as As gestured for him to climb into bed.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Adrienne wrote her card... and she didn't write about Mo-, she," The boy shook his head, trying to work out a way to call his mother just that without offending the woman currently tucking him in. "I thought it would be weird because... because we don't talk about her."

"Ivan, she's your mom, she's always going to be your mom, you can call her that."

"I know," the boy nodded, visibly straining his eyes so tears wouldn't flow down his troubled face. "But Adrienne doesn't remember her at all, she told me. And Dad doesn't miss her either... Nanny, Grandpa, Aunt Victoria, no one remembers her. Except me?" The last part remained unsaid. The boy was wondering if there was something wrong with him for not being able to move on as easily as he thought others had.

"Have you ever tried to talk to your Dad about her?"

Ivan shook his head, the misery clear on his face. "He's always so happy around you. I don't want to make him sad by bringing up... her."

Azalea nodded, letting him know she understood. "I think he would really like it if you talked to him about your mom though, she reassured him as she pulled the covers up to his torso, taking a seat on the duvet as she did. "I know he seems really busy, but I can guarantee you he always has time for you and Adrienne. No matter what either of you want to talk about."

"And you..?" he asked hesitantly, the uncertainty in his eyes making her want to hug the child.

"Of course me too. I would love to hear about your mom. I only know a few things, but I know she's pretty awesome because she has the most intelligent, thoughtful, kind and handsome son."

"Azaleaaaa,"the boy groaned, his age demanding his grouse at her compliments.

"I'm serious," the witch continued, pulling his arm away from his face. "I really want to know Veronika better. And you seem to be my best bet. So about we talk whenever you really miss her, or anytime you wan to remember her. Or any time at all actually."

"but won't you be sad,' he asked, bracing himself for the answer. Instead all he received was a warm smile as she leaned forward to kiss his forwards.

"Sad, when talking to you? Not a chance, kiddo."

The duo then turned to his essay, Azalea complimenting his writing and reiterating how proud she was of him. Ivan however seemed unsure if he wanted to publish the essay. His main concern seem to be that people might think it weird that he and Adrienne wrote about different people. The witch on her part, let him decide, though insisting it would be a shame if his wonderful writing didn't reach more people.

Finally, as his eyes row heavy, Azalea rose form ehr perch on his bed. "Night night sweetheart, have good dreams,' she repeated the words she did every time she tucked the children in. Instead of a goodnight in return however, Ivan spoke softly.

"I didn't mean that i don't like you," he spoke sleepily. "I miss mom a lot sometimes but I still like you."

"I know," the Slytherin Head replied with a fond smile, reaching to brush his hair from his forehead.

"Can you please not tell Dad..."

"I won't, Ivan,' the with replied softly. "You will, whenever you're ready."

The boy didn't reply, his eyes finally closing to the world. Still, Azalea waited another five minutes before she was absolutely certain. She left his room quietly, leaving the door ajar in case he needed Jake or herself during the night. A similar crack was visible in Adrienne's doorway where Azalea peeked in to the see the little witch snoring softly.

She could hear a shower running in the master bed. There was time.

Making her way into Jake's closet, the witch reached for the storage boxes on top. It didn't take long to find what she needed.

The next morning, when Ivan woke up, he would found a framed photograph of his mother on his nightstand with a note from Azalea tucked underneath, assuring him that Veronika was just as much a part of his life as everyone else in this family.

And that it was okay to miss her.

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» You Kept This From Me?!? (Kit & Jake)
» Around Again (Jake)
» A welcome home. (Jake )
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