On your Strictly AU… Kai and Angela are giving me Violet and Michael vibes.
Imagine a year or two after Anthony does is when Sophie and Kate are on maternity leave Violet is approached to take part and gets partnered with none other than Michael Stirling!
Anthony and Benedict completely scandalised at the high kicks and seeing their mother being tossed around whilst Kate and Sophie are giving her helpful tips and Frannie is just 😍 wanting to get to know her mothers dance partner!
While Anthony is competing Violet loves being in the audience to support her son though she comes to realise that a part of her also envies him, wishing she could have the chance to be taught such technical dances by championship dancers. Whenever she came to visit him during rehearsals or when he came over for dinner she would eagerly pester him to teach her some steps just to get a taster of what it must be like to do a ballroom dance. Naturally she was thrilled to see her son win the Glitterball trophy and she was even more excited when she found out that not only was Anthony dating Kate, but that Benedict was seeing his brother's dance partner Sophie; and of course whenever her sons' girlfriends were round she'd eagerly pick their brains about everything dance related and they were always more than happy to teach her a few dance combinations.
Several years later Violet's agent called her up to give her the news she had always hoped to receive; the BBC had offered her the chance to be a contestant on the show. She said "yes" in a heartbeat and she was fizzing with excitement to share the news with her kids. She was quite dismayed when the reaction she received wasn't as supportive as she imagined, with Colin and Eloise quipping a few jokes at her expense and her eldest sons doubting whether she was up to par to be on the show. Thankfully her daughters-in-law were her saving grace as they hyped her up and vowed to be there for her day and night should she ever want to get some advice or help with her dancing.
Cut to the launch show where the pairings for which contestant will be paired up with which professional are revealed and much to Violet's delight - and her children's shock and horror - she gets paired with the newest pro; Michael Stirling. She is the envy of all the other contestants and viewing audience alike as the ridiculously sexy Scotsman proves to be an instant charmer and wins over just about every person he meets - well, almost everyone.
Of course Anthony and Benedict are the most scandalised especially after seeing Michael Stirling stretch their mother's leg this high;
"What a traumatising way to find out mum's that flexible."
But what would additionally be a funny aspect to Violet's participation is if Edmund is still alive and well - and positively terrified that the Strictly curse might strike his blissfully happy marriage. He had never wavered in his love for Violet and he had always been secure in himself to never doubt the strength of their marriage; but Michael Stirling's sudden presence in his life unnerved him. Considering he had watched his wife act opposite many other good-looking actors brimming with charisma, there was just something about the young Scotsman that got under his skin. He had youth on his side, was ridiculously handsome, had an irresistible grin that made every hot-blooded woman swoon, and there was a permanent flirtatious tone whenever he opened his mouth; how could anyone possibly turn down his advances?
Of course he'd try his best to ignore his own insecurities as best he could and put Violet first, being her biggest fan and sitting in the audience every week to support her. However it didn't help that the tabloids had done a deep-dive into his wife's dance partner's prolific Casanova past with various ex-lovers selling their stories about how Michael had seduced them. He had reportedly slept with married women, several women his senior, and had allegedly even once had dalliances with Kate and Sophie; which wasn't true in the slightest as Edmund's daughters-in-law laughed the claims off and stated that Michael was just a flirty friend - not that it stopped Anthony and Benedict from suffering from near-breakdowns at the thought of Michael having gone anywhere near their wives. There were even fans online who seemed to be legitimately shipping his wife with her professional dancer, and it was difficult for Edmund to ignore what seemed to be the world trying to signal that his marriage was doomed.
Then one day Violet invited Michael over for dinner to celebrate getting through to Blackpool week and Edmund truly felt as if he was being tested as he plastered a genial smile on his face throughout the meal. Anthony and Benedict were equally peeved to be in Michael's presence as the dancer occupied their mother and wives attention, something which Colin found quite amusing until Michael kept stealing Penelope's attention away from him and constantly kept making her giggle much to his chagrin. Unbeknownst to the men, the reason why Violet had invited Michael over was actually to set him up with Francesca, who had expressed interest to her mother after visiting them during rehearsals. Violet had noticed Michael took an instant shine to her daughter and ever since he had always asked after her in particular more than any of her other children, and she was hopeful that they would make a perfect match.
As Violet progressed further in the competition, Edmund became fearful that the more hours she was putting in had nothing to do with training but that she had succumbed to Michael Stirling's charm and had begun an affair with him. He tried not to let it get to him but one day while Francesca was round his irrational thinking got the best of him and he blurted out his suspicions that he thought Violet was sleeping with Michael. He was outraged when Francesca cracked up laughing and he began having a go at her for not taking him seriously and went on and on about how he was sure his wife was cheating on him.
"Oh for god's sake, dad! Mum's not sleeping with Michael!"
"And how can you be so sure?!"
"Because I'm sleeping with Michael!"
At which point Edmund fell silent, dumbfounded as to how to respond since the possibility that Michael was sleeping with his daughter and not his wife had never crossed his mind. After a very long five minutes of shocked silence Edmund cleared his throat and asked whether or not it was serious between them, to which Francesca informed him that she had spent every night of the last few weeks with Michael. Edmund nodded in acknowledgement as he now tried to wrap around his head around the possibility that Michael Stirling, rather than being a threat to his marriage, could very well end up being his future son-in-law instead.
Eventually much to her overwhelming joy Violet ends up winning the show with Michael and despite his misguided paranoia, Edmund couldn't be prouder of his wife. He also warms up to Michael when he sees just how besotted he is with Francesca, and especially after Michael offers to teach him the foxtrot to surprise Violet with for their upcoming wedding anniversary.
