Out of Luck

Deliverance

Allan sank himself into the seat beside her and dug around in the pocket hanging off the chair in front of him. A few magazines, a manual on how to pull out the inflatable life slide. He supposed that could come in handy. Everything was going to go smoothly- that was what he tried to convince himself of. The flight, the trip to her family’s house, and the visit. It all would be fine, right? He felt around in a pocket and pulled out a long cylindrical container of Lifesavers, popping a grape flavored one into his mouth. “Darling.” He murmured, holding it out to her. “It will prevent your ears from popping too badly.” Allan had brought his laptop in his carry-on bag, along with a sweater in case it got cold, a book, a sketchbook, pens, pencils, a book of puzzles in case Violet wanted to do something with him.

He was surprised by her question, listening to the child be shushed at the other end of the plane softly. He wasn’t sure what she meant exactly- did he like children? Did he want children? Allan settled into his chair. “I like children. I have a few nieces and nephews who I don’t see very often but I like to think I’m a relatively good uncle to them.” He scratched under his chin in thought. “And I usually give children the benefit of the doubt when they’re acting out. I would say I’m a bit of a pushover.”

Allan kept his hand in hers and tucked away the Lifesavers, smiling at Violet. “Well, what about you then?” He asked, brushing his thumb along the back of her hand gently, in soft circles as he glanced out the window. They were getting ready to take off. The plane was turning down the runway and they were increasing speed. He caught the Lifesaver between his teeth and pushed it onto his tongue. Though the packed plane full of people caused him a bit of apprehension, the actual take off was astounding to Allan and he watched as they lifted up, essentially catching the wind and soaring up and into the air. Amazing. He leaned his head against Violet’s shoulder to watch through the window for a moment.

His nicknames always made her lips twitch unintentionally, no matter how many times she heard them it always made her fight a smile back. She'd never really been anyone's 'darling' before, hearing it from him coupled with the accent was enough to make her blush even after them being together for this long. Taking the offered candy and letting it settle on her tongue she sucked on it lightly, watermelon. The plane lurched with take off and she watched him ponder her question, their hands still comfortably tangled and setting at least a bit of her anxiety at ease while he replied. "I'm sure you're a great uncle," she reassured. "I'd believe the pushover thing though, you barely have the heart to tell Wellington to get off the kitchen table, I can't imagine you actually refusing a child anything."

"As far as family members or smaller children I'm good, I love my cousins and I used to babysit frequently. But children of my own..." the thought was scary and unfamiliar, something new and completely alien. Allan seemed so much better equipped to deal with them than she would be, with raising children there were so many things that could go wrong. "I want them, but I'm also afraid I'd end up ruining them somehow. I feel ill-prepared, too disorganized or immature, but I suppose I won't really know until it happens, that is, if it ever does." she tacked on.

His cheek rested against her shoulder and she pressed a brief kiss to his forehead absentmindedly, her breath tinged with the tart watermelon flavoring of the life savor that was just sour enough to make her nose crinkle. The sky drew nearer outside the window while the ground seemed to grow smaller, the clouds threatening to swallow them whole and she felt a cool blanket of peace fall momentarily, the calm and certainty that while they remained in the air they were stuck between two places and nothing could go wrong. "I wish I could live in some architecturally impossible house in the sky." she sighed, letting her head fall back against the seat, slumping in her seat a bit to hunker down and get comfortable while her temple settled against Allan's curls. "It's so serene, almost like being stuck in a dream." her trails of words veering in and out like a static radio transmission.

Deliverance

Allan knew it was impossible to die of nerves, but he felt damn sure that you could at least faint from it, and he knew that could be happening any time in the next few hours. They were going to Idaho, like he’d promised, with those Christmas present air tickets in tow, and while Allan was excited to be with his fiance, he was also terrified of what would happen. He had money, sure, but he wasn’t a rough and tumble type of guy. He couldn’t step in there, tell them he was marrying their daughter, and act as if it was no big deal. He didn’t have the right air about him to look nonchalant, to cast off a feeling of manly ease that might make them excited for their daughter, instead of nervous. And he was 37. Well… pretty much 38. It was a sore subject indeed, and Allan loved his fiance. His future wife. The love of his life. But he was nervous. What if they planted some kind of doubt in her head? What if they kicked them out of the house?

He knew he was overreacting, but at the same time, who really could tell any more? She’d been so afraid of even talking to her family and now they were going to visit for the holidays. Allan sank down to sit beside her- he’d dressed nicely, as was usual for him, in some straight legged gray slacks and a dress shirt. His hand never left hers and god, did he hate this place. A child was staring at him as if he was the oddest creature in the world and Allan was pretty sure his hair hadn’t turned blue and he hadn’t grown an extra arm.

"Yes. I think so." He murmured, glancing at her with a nervous smile, his thumb tracing patterns into the back of her hand as he held it. “Maybe the cookie basket sold them." Allan murmured, a small grin on his face as he wrapped his arm around her to give her a squeeze just before the terminal opened for passengers. “Come on." He stood, helping her up. “Either they’ll love me… or they’ll hate me. Or actually, they may feel completely indifferent." Allan swung their arms a bit, trying to focus on her and not all the people walking about, the possible stares.

Allan hadn’t bought first class- he had money, but he was still economical, and they didn’t particularly need first-class at the moment. But they had a two-seater and he let her pick her seat, either by the window or in towards the aisle. “I’ll be falling asleep on you either way." He teased.

"Hate is a strong word Allan." she said quietly, shuffling in through the lines of people all wiggling by to get to their respective places. She took the seat nearest to the window, pressing her forehead against the cool plastic of the cabin interior. The countdown had begun, she felt woozy. Looking over to her fiance their hands settled back together and she sighed. There were so many ways this could end up going and in none of the imagined ones she held in her mind did they have happy endings.

Somewhere in the back of the plane a baby cried, followed by several grumbled complaints rippling through the masses like pebbles in water and Violet lifted her head to look over the back of her seat to see the offending child being shushed by its mother. They made eye contact and the woman looked apologetic and being caught she hurriedly faced forward. "What's your opinion on children?" she suddenly thought to ask the man sitting next to her. "I mean, I have lots of younger cousins and I know you have all of your younger siblings but, do you particularly enjoy them?" the question was meant to gauge his reaction to the masses of younger children that would be flocking to them once they got to her house but she left it open ended, deciding to tuck his answer away for future reference should another conversation ever surface that went along the lines of families that were entirely of their own design.

People were settling in and the aisles were beginning to clear, squeezing Allan's hand reassuringly before letting go to fasten her seat belt as the plane jarred to life, moving itself towards the runway. "Here we go." she said, feeling speed pick up and her body press into the back of the seat before the plane's wheels suddenly weren't making contact with the asphalt anymore. The climb was steep and Violet's breathing only evened out when she looked out the window and saw that their ascent was steady and the bustle of New York was growing smaller by the minute. "Homeward bound it is."

Deliverance

Airports were one of Violet's least favorite places. They were cramped and smelled like a stale clorox wipe while managing to be overcrowded and filled with people who were all trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible with little to no regard for those around them. She shouldered her backpack and looked over her shoulder to Allan who was coming out of his security check, their luggage had been checked in and she waited for him to catch up before taking his hand uncertainly and walking through while people cast them uninterested glances briefly before pushing past.

She was nearly home, JFK was the final gate to cross before she was in a plane and back in her family's arms. They were also going with another purpose however, she reflected as her ring hit the light and cast a small rainbow onto her shirt. Her and Allan were getting married, and they had to announce the engagement. Both were a little nervous due to the fact that he had not asked her father permission prior to proposing but they were taking it in stride and she was sure once they got to know Allan they would take a liking to him.

Her fiance looked impeccable as always, she had raised her eyebrows at his choice in attire when she had gotten dressed that morning, spending four hours on a plane seemed like a good enough reason to dress for comfort but he was striding through the airport with purpose, her hand tangled in his as they made their way, one of his steps equal to two of hers. She herself was wearing a hoodie jacket that had the union jack on it, abandoning contacts in favor of glasses while her shoes were just a loose fitting pair of uggs she had owned since she was seventeen. There would be snow on the ground but not as much as there would be here, southern Idaho stayed relatively warm in the winter.

Squeezing Allan's hand she looked up at him, offering a nervous smile after they had gotten to the appropriate gate and settled in, a few minutes before they started accepting passengers. There were so many variables going into whether or not her family would take to him, and it was the elephant in the room but she knew he was thinking it as well, the fourteen year age gap that was separating them. Her birthday was only in a week, she would celebrate turning twenty four with her family but she wondered how they would react when he told them he was thirty eight. Violet told him over and over again she didn't care, he could've been twenty five or he could've been forty and she would love him just the same as she did now but it was a sore spot for him, in addition to the fact that he neither hunted or fished as was the rather masculine definition in her town of what a man was and whether or not he was fit to provide for his family. Their approval was important to her, she had promised him that, but it would not be a deciding factor in their relationship. If they didn't like him all it meant was they would be spending Christmases with his side of the family which Violet wasn't so sure was any better considering they had yet to tell them as well.

"Are you ready?" she asked, settling her cheek against his shoulder as they waited, their hands never separating.

Christmas

Allan nodded softly to everything she said. They would be together, and he would meet her family and she could meet his, and they would get married… have a wedding. Children. A family. Allan didn’t even mind Wellington climbing between them and he pet the cat and leaned down to kiss the top of his head, watching the fat creature seem to get more and more content as he was given attention. Allan looked at Violet and wiped at her cheeks one more time, kissing her. “You’re so beautiful. My beautiful fiance." He chuckled, breathless.

This was all new to him, and having a girlfriend, a fiance, soon enough his wife… she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Allan sighed and leaned back against the couch. “I hope your family liked those cookies." He murmured, chuckling as he kissed her neck lazily. He could see her eyeing the ring. “Do you like it? I didn’t want anything too ridiculous, but it needed to match your beauty. Which is difficult, by the way." Allan slid his hand into hers, making sure the ring fit her finger. He’d bought the right size.

He was content to sit with his little family for a long time, but the coffee was ready and he could smell it warm in the pot and waiting to be poured. “Darling, I’m going to get us some coffee. Unless you want something else." He slid away from her and kissed her forehead.

"Don't be stupid of course I like it you could've proposed to me with a ringpop and I would've loved it because it came from you." she said to him as he worked his mouth down her neck. She blushed at his compliment, flicking his shoulder. "I think love has blinded you." Violet told him. "It's elegant, not flashy and I love it and it's the most important piece of jewelry I will ever wear."

At the mention of her family Violet felt the first inklings of dread creep into her but she let the happiness of the moment fight it off as she slid down so her mouth could catch Allan's, absentminded kisses and fluttering touches. "I think they liked it, but they might not be too excited about me bringing a fiance home that they never have met. I think.... I think I'm going to be glad to have you with me. My grandparents are going to be sad they didn't see you before we got engaged I think my grandfather's a bit of a romantic." she admitted. "But I know they will warm up to you quickly! My cousins Michael and Jacob will love to meet you, they seem to be the least brutish out of them all." Violet reassured him.

She sat up slightly when he mentioned coffee and realized that after all this excitement she was now hungry, her stomach rumbling. Every motion caught the light of the ring on her finger and she tried not to stare at it as she ran her fingers through her hair and fixed his shirt that had rumpled around her waist as she nodded. "Yeah I think breakfast is in order and maybe a few phone calls."

Christmas

Allan was watching every movement she made with baited breath. Perhaps it was too soon, or at a strange time. What if she was thinking about how in the future she might regret it? He was older- quite older, and she would be young for quite a time. Those were always his greatest fears, just about age and how different a younger adult could be. But he loved her, regardless of age and color and creed and he was sure if she was entirely different in appearance, her personality and her spark would still drive him back to her somehow. He watched her eyes as they slowly filled with tears and she was still holding the ring and suddenly crashing into him. He laughed and rolled slightly on his back and pushed himself back up to hold her and return the kiss, and wrap his arms around his girlfriend. His fiancee.

Every inch of him was humming in excitement and he hurriedly helped her get the ring properly on the right finger, and held her beautiful hand in his and kissed it and leaned in to kiss her again. Engaged on Christmas Day. Allan was laughing and crying and he kissed her one more time, wiping at his cheeks in a hurry and taking a deep breath. "…I’m sure you will have a… a wonderful time introducing your fiance to your family soon." He reminded her, with a big smile that encapsulated his face.

He couldn’t stop holding her, and kissing her, and god, they were engaged now. They would be married and he would be her husband and… Allan kept his arms about her and just held her, wiping at her wet cheeks for her, smiling.

He had never been more handsome to her as he was right now, with his hair still mussed from sleep, eyes still a bit bleary and fresh with tears. "Together, we're doing it together." she corrected, his arms snug around her middle as though trying to get her to stick to him forever. "Jesus fucking Christ I love you so much." Violet said, feeling his thumb wipe the tear tracks on her face.

She could've stayed in this moment forever but of course the newest addition to the family appeared a bit disgruntled that there was attention giving happening and he wasn't at the center of it. Wellington's claws were felt on her knee as he struggled to climb between them, forcing her to relieve her tight hold on her fiance for the cat to haul himself up where he gazed at them both defiantly as though daring for someone to attempt to remove him. Violet sniffled, wiping her eyes as she looked at her right hand and saw his ring there looking brilliant against her skin and her grin was so wide it hurt. "We're getting married." her voice was hoarse. "Wedding, children, family..." she trailed, the future seemingly endless.

Together, she had never felt so happy in all her life. "I have to meet your family too, it's the rules." she added, kissing the tip of his nose. All the other gifts lost their luster in comparison to the ring, it was the most precious object she would ever handle, her thumb traced over the cool metal and the ridges made by the diamonds and Violet felt whole, as though a piece she wasn't even aware was missing was in place.

Christmas

Allan had been delighted at the other presents waiting for him. DVDs he hadn’t seen before of his favorite TV shows, cufflinks that matched the beautiful jewelry he’d bought her from England. It was such an amazing Christmas, just to be with her. And now their family was bigger with a new pet and their living room was a wreckage of little paper bits and the new additions to the home- presents unwrapped and ready to be used. He rubbed her back as she came closer and smiled, kissing her back and leaning his forehead into hers. She was amazing. He knew her jobs weren’t exactly ideal, and she was working hard to get money and pay her way through all this and not just ride on him (even though he’d be fine paying for her completely). She was a hard working woman, someone he not only loved, but admired in every way.

He loved her so much and he told her so, as often as possible, and kissed her one more time. “I love you, too." Allan murmured, and slid himself away from her to the tree, fumbling behind its narrow trunk. “Violet." He looked at her, the tiny box easily hidden in his broad palm. They were both sitting on the floor which was fine, he didn’t mind, and he sat back where he’d been by her side, and slid his hand into hers. “I have one more gift… and it’s something I… I’ve been nervous to give you. It’s something I’ve thought about and… this gift isn’t exceptionally good at talking in crowds, and might vomit in social situations… and this gift is incredibly foolish when it comes to talking about ages and complaining… but… I want to give you myself. And my… my devotion. I… want to devote myself to you. Because I love you, so much, and I couldn’t imagine… I… I couldn’t imagine ever being with someone else."

Allan was trying to keep his breathing right, to not scare her, and holding up the small box was difficult, as if it weighed a ton in his palm. He let the small box open to show her what he was talking about, and his hand stayed holding hers almost desperately. “I… I want to be your husband. Will you let me, Violet?"

For such an important moment, maybe the most important moment of her life so far, Violet felt relatively calm. The ring was a small band with little diamonds making their way up the curves to one larger one, twinkling away at her. Her eyes stayed glued to it, her hand being held fiercely by the man who had just pledged his life to her, one sentence had changed everything. He wanted to be with her, forever, and he of all people knew the weight of these words and it was impossible for them to be misused. The nervous man who had sprained his ankle the first day they met, the one who had invited her to his home and cooked for her and become her friend was sitting on the floor of their apartment with a ring asking a question that would change the course of their lives forever.

The profoundness of the situation was one she knew she could never put into words, her mouth was opening and closing and her brow was furrowed, impossibly trying to communicate all that she was feeling at this second. Violet released his hand as he continued watching her so intently, she could see his anxiety filtering through his mind behind his eyes and she took the little box from his grasp, plucking the ring from it's perch. It was modest, but there was beauty in it, he had picked something that complimented her, he was always thinking of her in that way. Her considerate boyfriend, he put her first in almost anything he did and loved her so entirely for a brief lapse in time she had feared that she could never be enough for him, that he deserved someone whole and unbroken but he didn't want that. He had chosen her to share this honor with and it all became too much and tears spilled over, dripping down her cheeks as she nodded. "Yes." she told him, yes of course was he mad? He could become her husband a million times over, she could never refuse him and nor would she want to. Violet Lawson had a certain ring to it that she couldn't help but like.

With all these thoughts she found her voice, looking to him and throwing her arms around his neck, nearly making him fall over. "Yes, God yes." she insisted, pulling a ways to cup his face in her hands and kiss him once more. Forever was an awfully long time, they'd better get started right away.

Christmas

Allan watched her expression with baited breath. He knew she had mentioned not wanting to talk to them before because she was unsure but then again, she also said she was homesick and missed them all. He had thought this would be a good present and hopefully he hadn’t been wrong… and he hadn’t. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her, pressing another kiss to her forehead. “Thank god you like it." He laughed nervously, brushing her hair back softly. “I wasn’t sure… it was a gamble." He rubbed her back until she got off him so he could open the next present.

Feeling emboldened by how much she liked her plane ticket (and his, respectively), he crawled the small distance to the tree and reached for a relatively large sized box, sitting it on his lap and getting the sides popped open before ripping it off the box. It advertised a vacuum that was handheld that got into small areas and Allan laughed. He was a clean freak, it seemed. He glanced at Violet cheekily.

"You’re feeding my addiction." He tapped the box. “My addiction to clean this entire apartment. Thank you… I’ll be sucking up crumbs all night." Allan was interestedly reading the back of the box now. “Here." He slid up to the presents left, picking up a few at once. “I went overboard. You should I think open them at once. Or choose one of these." One was the second dress, in a dark blue with a flattering but not ridiculous bustline that fell to a full dress, like a gown one would wear to a press event or an award show. The other was the set of soaps and sweet-smelling bath stuff. He’d put the soft socks in her stocking with the chocolates and a few other small items (a gift card to a nice restaurant), and then there was just jewelry beneath the tree, and the one special piece of jewelry he’d hidden.

It went like this, back and forth, the boxes opening up and the gifts becoming each more lovely then the last. Violet felt affection swell in her heart, fueled only by the delight on his features as he unwrapped each of the gifts she had purchased for him. Her dresses were folded neatly on the coffee table and Wellington had decided to join in on the festivities by rolling in the leftover tissue paper as Violet peered through to the barebones of the gifts under the tree and she picked some of the last ones addressed to her, opening them each in turn and ooh-ing and aaah-ing over the bath salts and soaps, looking up to her boyfriend and smiling. "You are going to spoil me." she commented playfully.

It hadn't been exactly early when they had awoken but the sun had eluded them, hiding behind the clouds as the snow came down but it seemed now was the time for it to make it's big reveal and as the white flurry let up streaks of yellow filtered in onto the floor. Christmas morning was reaching it's end and Violet leaned back on her hands, inspecting the wasteland of wrapping paper that was their living room as the tree twinkled away and Wellington fought with a stray bit of ribbon. She had bought the cat a bed and a food bowl, it was stuffed away in her closet where she knew Allan couldn't have stumbled upon it and she inched her way over to her boyfriend now, leaning her cheek against his shoulder as they sat a moment in the ruin. She would be going home to see her family, soon by the dates on the tickets and he would be coming with her and it she was so happy Violet was positive she was somehow glowing. He was interested in her life, he wanted to meet her family and stand by her and in this moment it was as if she knew that she couldn't really picture herself with someone else ever again.

Allan told her constantly that he was old, he thought himself ugly or some way unsuited for her but he couldn't convince her otherwise and it seemed now he might be stuck with her for life. Gingerly she pressed a kiss to his lips and smiled at him, looking into his eyes bleached into a pale blue by the dullness outside and her heart felt as if it might break due to the amount of love she was experiencing for him at this moment. "I love you so much." she said, and every word rang true with sincerity and affection.

Christmas

He smiled, comfortable from his spot as he watched Violet open one of the presents- a dress that she seemed to really enjoy. He unwrapped some chocolate candies and popped one in his mouth, scratching behind Wellington’s ears and enjoying the cats added company. It felt so much more homey suddenly, with the Christmas set up and with the cat relaxing on him as if this was where he’d spent his last 6-8 years. Allan watched her hold up the dress and examine it. He always loved seeing her dressed up, in beautiful clothes that fit her well. He was just glad she loved it too.

"Oh, I see there’s one I should open, I suppose." He murmured, reaching down to pick up the box she had nudged towards him. He let Wellington lay on the couch and slid down to sit beside her, taking the thick box and unwrapping it curiously.

The bellstaff coat was new and folded perfectly in the box, the fabric thick and woven as he ran his hand along it, the collar easily able to stand up, with perfect pockets as well. “Oh, this is… wonderful, darling." Allan murmured in awe, holding it up, turning it around to look at every angle. His old one was worn and coming apart at the seams. “It’ll be good to retire that disgusting old coat, too. Despite all it’s been through." He kissed her forehead. “Your turn then."

"I know how much you love your old one, you looks so good in it anyway." she murmured, bashful as he gave her a kiss. Wellington looked up from the couch, affronted that he had been forced to vacate the warm lap in favor of the sofa. His fat legs stretched and he looked like he was debating whether or not it was worth it to all the way down there to pursue Allan but ultimately his desire to fill the necessary twenty hours of sleep a day kicked in and he lay his head back down, watching Violet as though she was going to be problem in his quest for attention concerning Allan.

At the mention of her turn she picked a smaller box, opening it with gusto as the paper accumulated on the floor and she was holding a box in her hand that didn't look like it belonged to any kind of store. She wondered if it was jewelry, shooting him a spry glance as she opened it and titled the box into her hand to see what fell out and her brow furrowed when two slips of paper were suddenly in her hand. "What is...?" she trailed, picking up one of the curious strips to see what it was.

A plane ticket. Not just any plane ticket. The destinations were set in their air code abbreviations and in big black print it clearly said JFK to TWF. She knew where that was, that was home. Looking up at Allan, dumbstruck, she clutched the plane tickets to her chest like they were the most expensive thing in the world, shaking her head out of disbelief. Upon inspection of the other one she found it to be identical, he had bought them both a ticket for her to go home. "I don't know what to say." her mouth was hanging open and she set the tickets on the coffee table to wrap her arms around his shoulders, radiating nothing but gratitude.

"I'm so happy." Violet smiled into his shirt. "But it's now your turn I think." The items left under the tree for him included his cufflinks for him to wear that matched her necklace, the season boxsets to his favorite TV shows that were wrapped separately but held together by a piece of ribbon, and the vacuum. Eager to see which one he chose next she let him go to pick one from the pile, reaching behind her over the coffee table to pet Wellington who opened one mismatched eye to look her over before closing it again and settling deeper into the couch.

Christmas

Allan was enthralled when Wellington sat in his lap and he was laughing already at the name his girlfriend had elected to give this cat. Beefy Wellington. It was too perfect for the cat’s disposition and his ridiculous pudge. He rubbed between the cat’s ears and nodded. “He’s perfect." Allan had indeed wanted a cat and perhaps a kitten would’ve been nice, but kittens were also rambunctious and knocked things over and Allan wasn’t a very high-energy type of guy. Wellington fit perfectly into their lifestyle.

He looked at the presents sitting under the tree and smiled happily. “You can help yourself to the ones I’ve put there." Allan motioned to all the presents. He’d hidden the small package in a place she wouldn’t see, so he could take it out when the rest had been opened. The plane tickets, the dresses and soaps and all that… he was excited to see what she thought of them, but the last present was what was keeping him the tiniest bit anxious.

Allan was comfortable just sitting there watching her open gifts while the cat purred in his sleep on Allan’s lap.

Violet turned to face the tree, ready to select her gift at random, grabbing a box that looked too nicely wrapped to be one of Allan's and sitting down on the floor, looking up to Allan who now looked like a picture for stately British men with cats as Wellington made himself at home. "Do you want to switch off? I got you things in your stocking too for eating while we unwrap gifts." she pointed out, reaching over to unhook said stocking and toss it his way for him to look inside and pull some chocolates out to munch on.

Turning her focus back onto the package in her hands she tore at the wrapping delicately, gulping as she saw the box underneath was to a clothing store she'd never heard of. Shooting her companion and his snoozing feline a questioning glance she lifted the lid and peeked inside, her mouth falling open at the beautiful dress inside, her hands pulling at the fabric and lifting it a bit to examine the beauty of it. "Oh my god." she mouthed. "This is beautiful, I-I love it!" and she really did, it was all black with some kind of fabric in the shoulders to make the sleeves puff a bit, it had no neckline and the hem fell just a bit above the knee. "Your turn." she directed, setting the dress lovingly back in its box and setting it aside, nudging a present forward that was his containing what she suspected was his new bellstaff coat.

Christmas

When Allan was given the box, he was silent. It was moving. It was definitely moving. And he tried his hardest not to freak out and just throw the box open because there was some living creature inside of there and now Violet was talking about whatever it was and he opened it right as she rattled on about kittens being adopted and saw that there was an old, fat cat staring up at him from inside the box. He was… hilariously gruff looking, with a bow tied around his neck that seemed to really not fit at all. The cat was also ridiculously fat and Allan stared at him for a long time, as if he didn’t know how to comprehend the fact that there was a cat in his apartment.

Violet had gotten him a cat. A fat, grouchy looking cat that was staring at him. He reached under and hoisted the creature out of the box in silence, holding him up and looking at the cats furry underbelly. “Look. At. You." Allan’s face cracked into a smile and he was laughing, and gingerly pulled the cat into his arms, holding him with his legs cradled so the cat was comfortable. The fat thing sat its front paws on his shoulder and sniffed his neck and ears. Allan looked at Violet with the biggest smile as Wellington flopped down on the couch beside him and made himself at home after sniffing a few of the loose ripped pieces of wrapping paper.

"You got me a cat." Allan was enamored, staring at the living and breathing cat on his couch and brushing his fingers over his fur as Wellington groomed his own paw, licking and swiping it over his ears. “He’s so ridiculous. I can’t believe it." He looked at Violet excitedly. “What’s his name? Does he have one? How old is he? Do you know?"

"The official name is Wellington, something dignified and English sounding but I like to call him Beefy Wellington because he's so fat and no matter how much dieting he goes on he doesn't change. They don't know how old he is because they haven't had him for any longer then 10 months, they think somewhere between six and eight, he's up to date on all his shots. You really like him?" Violet was so happy that he was pleased with his gift, Wellington seemed not at all bothered by the fact that this wasn't his normal area, in fact he seemed almost happy to be away. Letting his short legs waddle him to the arm of the couch, looking over them both with a fairly uninterested gaze he kneaded his claws against the sofa before sauntering down to settle on Allan's lap where he curled up and seemed to have little to no interest in getting further acquainted because he fell back asleep, chest thundering in a loud but satisfying purr to be near his new human. "I knew you'd been talking about a cat for ages and I wanted to get you one, a kitten we could keep around for a while but I was on my way to look at a fresh litter that had been brought in and I just passed his cage and he looked so alone. I went in to visit and I he just pulled me in. I couldn't say no."

Allan however did not seemed the least bit upset by the fact that this cat was nothing close to a kitten. He was smiling widely and was just ecstatic to have him near. Violet was relieved and overjoyed, leaning forward to slip the ribbon over the cat's head so he didn't end up suffocating in his sleep. "I uh, well I have a collar for him but he's too fat for it." she explained sheepishly. "I already tried but I love him and he's perfect and so sweet." she enthused, sitting down beside Allan to rub behind Beefy Wellington's ear and kiss her boyfriend on the cheek. "Merry Christmas." she smiled.

Christmas

He knew she was excited, and so was he, but he wasn’t as awake as she was. It took him a bit longer to really fully wake up for her- in the mornings it was just usually that way. Allan would be woken by his girlfriends kisses or by her stirring in the bed or leaving, and he would have to wait a bit longer, so keen on getting a few more minutes. But today was Christmas and he put on coffee that could brew for a bit, sighing as Violet told him it was Christmas and he should come and open a ‘time sensitive’ present. That frightened him. “Did you get me a bomb?" He joked, sliding his hand into hers and letting her ‘tug’ him towards the living room.

Everything was picturesque, from the tree adorned with lights and ornaments to the snow sitting on the window sill, showing a very white day outside. Allan looked at the presents, noticing a very large one under the tree that was certainly bigger than the rest- bigger than the dress boxes and all of that. He looked at her and pointed to it. “Is it that one?"

Allan fixed his shirt which wasn’t even buttoned, letting himself still look disheveled by buttoning it halfway, running a hand through his ginger curls. “Alright. Coffee’s going to take a while to brew anyways, love."

"Yes I got you a bomb surprise." she rolled her eyes, summoning all the sarcasm she had in her body as they stopped in the living room, the lights on their little tree glittering and reflecting brilliantly off the other ornaments. They had really gone all in this year she mused, the snowflakes and tinsel along with the mistletoe that was taped unassumingly to the entryway, waiting to snare unsuspecting victims. Allan had successfully deduced which present was the one that was to be opened first and she clasped her hands together nervously, suddenly afraid that perhaps he would not like the gift after all and she had made a terrible mistake. "Well, alright, take a seat then." Violet instructed, picking up the box and feeling it's contents stir as though she had awoken the animal inside and she was grateful he had slept rather than paced the few hours he'd been inside.

Setting it in front of her boyfriend she looked at him, anxiously awaiting his reaction as the box sort of moved as the cat inside became aware that perhaps he was close to being let out, Violet had tied a piece of ribbon around his neck not too tightly so that he would at least look a little better than he usually did with his mismatched eyes and downtrodden expression. "If you don't like him we can return him but he was on the list to be put down and I couldn't leave him there and there were so many kittens but they get adopted all the time and he came right up to me and rubbed against me legs and I fell in love with him." she explained as quickly as she could to Allan, trying to explain herself, fearing he would look at the cat and refuse to accept the present and Christmas would be dampened by her taking him back to the shelter in place of a kitten. She had even named him, it was printed nice and neat on the adoption papers taped to the inside of the box putting Violet Bentley and Allan Lawson as the owners.

She had attempted to put a collar on him but the car had wheezed as though it couldn't breath and much to her amusement the cat seemed too fat to even wear tags around it's neck, she figured if he was that fat then he wouldn't be wandering too far from home and to forgo the whole thing, settling instead on a piece of ribbon to spruce him up a bit, his coat gleaming ginger the same shade as her boyfriends curls that she loved so much. Wellington Lawson was certainly an impressive specimen once you got around the rough parts and she was praying Allan could look them over in favor of the fact that this animal was very much in need of a home and she had wanted to give one to it.

Christmas

Allan had spent the last few days making sure everything was perfect. Presents wrapped, stockings filled, decorations done. They’d procured a tree and set the little pine tree with a skirt in the corner of the room, lit up with lights and presents piled up around it. It had been an intimate evening, the night before- just setting up gifts and enjoying some leftover cookies after they’d sent out a basket of them to her family in Idaho. Allan had conked out from all the cleaning he’d done, beside his girlfriend who had curled up into him and soon he found himself waking to her lips and voice. Of course she would be the one to wake up first on Christmas day.

He smiled tiredly and rolled onto his back, stretching and groaning. Allan was about to turn back to her but she was a step ahead of him, climbing onto his body and telling him it was time. “Alright, love, alright. Merry Christmas." He murmured, and leaned up to press a small kiss to her lips. “You’ll have to get off of me if you want me to get up." He reminded her.

Inside, Allan’s nerves were seizing up and he remembered placing the little box with the engagement ring behind all the presents. The best for last. There were many presents for Violet under the tree- a few fancy dresses and jewelry, soaps and nice smelling cooking kits to help her learn how to make dishes, as well as soft socks and those plane tickets to Idaho. Candies and chocolates, a small stuffed animal mouse sticking its head out of her stocking… he sat up when she rolled off him and stretched tiredly. “Shall I make coffee then?" He murmured, leaning down to kiss her once more before getting himself up and out of their far too comfortable bed.

"Merry Christmas." she told him as she watched him begin the process of waking up, clearly not as ready to be out of bed as she was but just the same amount of excited. He smiled at her wearily and Violet yawned, rubbing her eyes and blinking at him happily as he commented that he could never get out of bed if she didn't get off of him and with a soft groan she let herself sink back into the mattress, turning her head to watch him stand and stretch deliciously slow. "Coffee? I don't want any, I'm too awake." she said, sitting up, his shirt she had adopted as her official night time garb sliding off of one shoulder.

She would have to request that he open one gift first, and that was the only live (she hoped) thing under the tree. The cat she had bought for him at the shelter, she had bought an enormous box so he wouldn't be uncomfortable and placed him in it at the latest possible hour before joining Allan in bed, he had only been inside for a few hours and was most likely eager to get out, that or he was still asleep which could be very likely. She had poked holes in the box so he could breathe and Violet was eager to get him to open it. "Most beloved," she said from the bed, her voice echoing to the kitchen where she could hear him making his coffee. "I think you're going to have to open my present to you first, it's time sensitive." she said, her body complaining as she tried to get up, the chilly floor making her skin erupt into goosebumps.

With Allan's shirt hanging off of her she poked her head to see her boyfriend, coming up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist, pressing her lips between his shoulder blades. "C'mon, it's Christmas." she urged, trying to tug him away using brute strength and not really succeeding, for all her mental spirit it seemed she was still as weak as ever.

Christmas

Violet opened her eyes to an overcast sky with the snow coming down as harshly as ever. The protective shell of the blankets kept her warm as well as the body that was comfortably pieced next to hers, her boyfriend's arms around her waist and his chin placed against her shoulder. His breathing stirred the smaller hairs on the back of her neck and it only took her a second to remember exactly what day it was, excitement threatening to choke her.

Christmas morning was finally here and she felt like she was ten years old again. Allan was still asleep, dozing peacefully, seemingly not bothered by her awakening at all and gently she turned around until they were facing each other, his face slack from rest and she tilted her chin up to press her lips against his, her arms finding their way around his neck. "Allan it's time to get up." she mumbled against his skin, hoping to nudge him gently into the land of the living. "It's Christmas morning darling." she said again, more insistently this time.

All the presents awaiting them under the tree had been left wrapped immaculately. Well, Allan's more so than hers, Violet often got frustrated by them and after many papercuts Allan had to nurse when she was done he had finished his in a timely manner looking like they had been professionally done. It was unfair really. At any rate their presents were ready to be unwrapped and she wasn't going to wait a second longer to see the things she had gotten for him. Prodding him until he rolled over onto his back she let her body move with him so she was laying on top of him, her hands folded underneath her chin as she waited for him to wake up. "It's time it's time it's time!" Violet enthused, her voice still not above a whisper.

Snowflakes

He laughed at her reaction, glad the dough tasted so good, and got out some cookie cutters he’d bought a few days ago in various Christmasy shapes- a bell, a stocking, a tree… he began to cut them out and place the shaped dough on a cookie sheet that would go into the already preheated oven, humming to himself as he listened to her grab the essentials for warm drinks. “We’ll go out ice skating soon… and after, we can pick up our tree. It’s getting closer and closer so we should figure out a time soon to get that done." Once the first batch were set up, he slid them into the often, taking a deep breath and smiling when it was all set.

"Of course we did. I loved Rudolph… specifically the elf who wanted to be a dentist. Santa was very bigoted back then I suppose." He pointed out, leaning back against the counter, looking at his bare feet and wiggling his toes curiously before turning to look back at Violet. “There was another one, Jack Frost, which was very odd but I liked it regardless. I always loved the stop motion. I found it very curious."

Allan was so excited to give Violet her gifts. Even the bath soaps, the dress, the fuzzy socks and little things he knew she would still enjoy. The trip to Idaho was bigger and he wasn’t sure if she would appreciate it or not… and the ring… he just smiled at her lovingly and walked over, giving her a small kiss. “You’re so beautiful." He told her honestly.

"The elf who wanted to be dentist? I think Santa was just unaccustomed to free thinking." she said, feeling it necessary to defend St. Nick. She felt there was a metaphor somewhere in that action though and she preferred not to visit it any further. "I used to watch Charlie Brown and Rudolph and I remember watching Jack Frost but I haven't rewatched in a very long time." Violet added thoughtfully, pouring the hot water into the mugs when the kettle dinged, adding the powdered mix and stirring to ensure it didn't all clump up at the top.

He moved towards her and she looked up as he gave her a kiss and his words made her turn a bit red, making her direct her eyes down to the mugs. "Stop it," she mumbled. "Christmas has made you go crazy." his hands were coated in bits of dough and flower, the dirty cookie cutters scattered around the counter as she pressed a mug against his chest for him to take. She had added a bit of milk to get a creamy consistency and took an experimental sip to taste and was delighted with the results.

"When is this batch going to be done? Do we have time to watch a bit of the movie until it's time?" Violet asked, tilting her head back to look at him, tenderly pushing his hair back down so it didn't stick up quite so bizarrely and he looked a little less like a mad scientist and more like Allan.

Snowflakes

Allan was all about intricacies, to the point of sometimes being labeled a perfectionist. He worked hard on his writing, his artwork, and anything he created and put out in the world. Cookies were just as important to him, as he began mixing the ingredients into a thick batter, using his automatic mixer with one hand while he checked the ingredients for anything he might’ve missed. When the television came on, Allan could hear the buzz from it and smiled to himself. It felt very peaceful to have someone else in his home always, doing things in other rooms, making his apartment a living entity all its own.

He smiled as Violet fixed his sleeve- he’d been about to roll out the sugar cookies into a lengthy dough that he could cut into shapes, but her suggestion of taste-testing was too good to resist, and he took a spoonful from it with a nearby spoon, letting her take a bite. “Sugar cookies first. I can make the peanut butter blossoms after, which have a similar dough with peanut butter in it, with hershey kisses on top… I’ll have to go out and buy a few more candy canes for the peppermint drops. How does it taste?" He indicated the spoon.

"They’ll have frosting on them by the time they’re done… maybe sprinkles too." He smiled. “You could help decorate them if you like. I can set it up out on the coffee table so we could watch while we do that." Allan was getting far into the cookies, not really noticing that he had gotten a bit of flour on his cheek, far too busy tasting the batter himself before starting to knead the entire thing into a long slab.

She took a bite, her mouth encompassing the entire utensil as her eyes widened just a bit from the sweetness. "Oh my fucking god." she said, mouth full. "These are like orgasm in cookie form." Violet watched him as he grinned widely, talking about all the decorating possibilities as he began to roll it out for cutting the shapes.

Reaching up gently to wipe away at the bit of flour that had found its way onto his face she kissed the now clean patch of skin, smiling at him. His zealousness was touching, it would come in handy if later down the road things got serious. Violet didn't like to indulge in these thoughts too much, they were dangerous to entertain but she thought of a little head of curls not unlike Allan's poking itself over the same counter as the unnamed child watched their father make Christmas cookies like she was now. The thought was quickly stamped out but it still made her feel an unusual heat behind her heart that had nothing to do with the toasty feel of the apartment.

"Excellent idea, we can decorate them while we watch I'll get the hot beverages started." Violet felt most comfortable with the drink making, kettles and coffee makers were her specialty since she had been quite the ingester of caffeine for a while now. Also living with a British man meant you sort of had to learn how to make tea the proper way, no instant stuff. Filling their minute kettle up with water she set it on and waited, standing on her toes to try to reach the bigger mugs at the top of the cabinet, inching them off their space until she had two in front of her and the hot chocolate packets and milk were also in front of her as she waited for the water to boil. "Did you guys watch TV programs like this when you were kids at Christmas?" she asked absentmindedly fiddling with a strand of her hair.

Snowflakes

Allan was indeed happy these days- he was with the love of his life and enjoying the Christmas season. They’d have a tree soon and it just felt like for the first time in a long while, he’d be really celebrating with someone he cared about. He hoped Violet would enjoy the gifts he’d gotten. He was still waiting to be mailed the tickets for their flight to Idaho and they were sent priority mail so he knew they’d be coming any day. He just hoped she would like to go… and as his fiancee. God, he couldn’t believe he’d be asking her to marry him, and so soon. He squeezed her before following her to the kitchen.

"Cookies, right. I can whip up sugar cookies easy… but there’s also chocolate chip, peanut butter blossoms, peppermint dots…" He picked up his recipe book which was all hand-written inside, papers stuck in laminated sleeves to keep it clean. “I think a little bit of everything would be once. Oh! And I bought pretzels… we could dip them in chocolate and cover them in sprinkles or something to that affect." Allan might have been a little too excited to send Violet’s family a basket of cookies. He probably should have called them to ask for their blessing before buying the ring… but he’d never spoken to them before and they had no clue who he was. It’d just be uncomfortable.

"How about you find out what movies are on, while I get this started? You can try the batter and do all the things the hard working baker doesn’t." He leaned down and kissed her forehead before setting to work, grabbing eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and a few other key ingredients, rolling up his sleeves and brushing his hair back and out of his face.

Violet watched him thumb through his recipe book, all too eager to get started with his sleeves rolled up and his hair sticking at a rather odd angle from where he had brushed it out of his eyes. He was grabbing odds and ends off his shelves and from the fridge as he enthused about cookies and pretzels, his eyes alight. "You're amazing." she said, half awed and half amused as he kissed her forehead and she left before things got wildly out of her depth. She wasn't sure what action had ever merited someone like him entering her life but she was glad all the same.

Walking down the hallway she fiddled with the remote for the TV, checking some of the basic channels, positive something Christmas themed had to be on. With a successful smile she did indeed see that Frosty the Snowman had only just begun and pausing it she left the living room to go stick her head into the kitchen to share the good news.

Violet and Allan were fundamentally opposite personalities, where he was (or had been depending on who you talked to) shy and clean she was often loud and messy. Months of spending time with him had gotten her to improve her habits but she was still not a great advocate of the 'clean as you go' policy in the kitchen which Allan was a religious subscriber to. He could cook a full meal and you would never be able to tell he was even there, while if Violet did anything so much as pour a glass of milk she left a trail behind her. Allan's endless patience and love for her was what she suspected kept him from strangling her in her sleep.

"Good news." she told him, walking back in to see him hard at work, bent over his creation with the concentration of a scientist on the verge of discovery. "Frosty the Snowman is on, I paused it for us to watch when we're ready." Violet said, adjusting the drooping sleeve so it didn't fall into the bowl. "I can taste test it if you want... for poison or something." she commented, eyeing the batter and feeling her mouth water as she looked up at him with a shy smile.