meet the (grand)parents...

[theresalwayshope]

Allison felt a little like she was going insane.

She started out just planning to invite Aramis and Porthos over to meet Jason. Dinner and drinks, nothing big. Then she realized she didn't just feel obligated to invite Athos, she wanted to. So, if she did that, she obviously had to invite D'artagnan, and she really wanted to meet Constance...and she'd promised Grey a chance to help her bake a cake, so if she did something more than dinner, she could let him come over at some point...

The small family dinner became a small dinner party, and with a few more additions morphed into an impromptu potluck for the whole building...or anyone that wanted to show up. She told the family about it privately, asking Porthos and Aramis to make sure the others at least stopped by (with a subtle warning that Jason would be there), told everyone else she knew in the city, and for the rest of the building she posted a couple of handmade fliers: one in the elevator, and another in the laundry room announcing that, with either a main course or appetizer offering, an invitation to the holiday celebration taking place in apartment #39...dressy casual to formalwear welcome, bring your favorite Christmas CD as a bonus.

And, of course, she told Jason...and told him her family would be there.

By the night of the party, Allison was ready...she just felt a little like she was going insane.

She kept her outfit cute, but simple, and took care of dessert by baking some cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, and a two layer chocolate cake which she invited Grey over to help her bake. With a little careful scheduling, she also managed to contribute to the food on hand with her second ever attempt at beef bourguignon: rich, hearty, and sort of impressive under the right circumstances. By party time, she had her front door standing open, some Trans Siberian Orchestra carols playing on her stereo, and while she didn't yet have a tree, she'd gotten some cute plastic holly garland to hang around the apartment, and for fun had ringed her whole living room ceiling in multicolor Christmas lights for good measure.

The party was good to go. The place smelled good, the food came out okay with more to come...the evening was good to go.

And when Jason showed up, her family would show up...and they'd all meet each other...

While she waited for her guests, loved ones, and boyfriend to start arriving, Allison puttered around in her kitchen, swore to herself she was not hiding, and tried to pretend that she wasn't having visions of someone either drawing a sword or a knife by the end of the evening.

Tonight had to be perfect.

(HOLIDAY GATHERING POST! Treat it thusly. :P Front door's open, come and go as you please, anyone in the Bramford Building is welcome, and if you know Allison even remotely she told you about the party. Gather at will, and leave a call for Allison in your subject line if you want to play with her directly! Open eternally, will probably be linked near the end of the month. :D)

Comments

[silenttrainbaby]

It seems like Grey goes to many parties in Darrow. He can't say he's any closer to knowing quite what to do at them, but he goes, nonetheless. And of course, he'd come early to help bake this cake, eating enough batter for his stomach to hurt.

Rat will be here soon and he looks forward to showing his boyfriend the cake he helped make, to show him the mistletoe that Allison explained. For once, he doesn't wear sweatpants, but what he's learned are called trousers. And a sweater that feels so soft against his skin that he keeps rubbing it as if continuously surprised. His hair is growing out, too and he comes very close to smiling.

[priordivergence]

I'm not very good at partying, which shouldn't surprise me. At least Halloween had had the disguise of lights and costumes, but now I'm just standing there, hugging my sweater around myself.

"I don't really know what to do," I admit, sidling up to him. "Are you having fun?"

[silenttrainbaby]

The stomachache had taken away from some of the fun, but yes, Allison seemed to make things more fun, Grey would admit if he could. He gives Tris a half-smile and reaches for her hand. How does she feel?

[priordivergence]

"They took the splints off," I say, very happy about that. I still have support tape, but the recent x-rays had proven that my bones are healed. I'm clear to return to the side of my job that isn't work.

[silenttrainbaby]

Good. Grey nods, carefully letting her hand go. Then he points to the cake. Look! He helped made that!

[priordivergence]

"You did that?" I ask, smiling. It's a lot nicer looking than my humble brown bread.

"I should have brought something prettier."

[silenttrainbaby]

No. That's fine. Tris needs to be not so hard on herself.

He swipes at the frosting and licks his finger, then he nudges Tris's shoulder. She should do that too.

[priordivergence]

I laugh and cut two pieces instead, handing him a big slice and taking a more modest one for myself.

"It looks great."

[silenttrainbaby]

Oh. Well, that is one way to do it, he supposes.

Grey takes his piece and takes two forks for them to eat with. There.

[priordivergence]

I take my fork and smile at him. "My faction used to make the best cake," I say. "This tastes just like it."

[silenttrainbaby]

That is high praise indeed. Grey might be beaming a little bit. He doesn't take a bite, though, because his stomach still hurts from all the batter and frosting he ate earlier.

[priordivergence]

"I bet you've been tasting it all day, huh?" I guess, noting how he doesn't eat his food.

[silenttrainbaby]

At least most of the afternoon, yes. Soon, though, he'll have another piece. He nudges her shoulder again with his. She's all right, though?

[priordivergence]

I nudge back, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "What?"

[silenttrainbaby]

Another nudge. How on Grey's arm, the sleeve of his sweater pulled up. How is she?

[priordivergence]

"How what? How am I?" I ask, my mind thumbing through every iteration of the question.

[silenttrainbaby]

Yes - Grey nods - how is she? The corners of his eyes crinkle a little at the confusion.

[priordivergence]

"All right," I say, gesturing to my healed hand. The scar across my right palm will be with me for the rest of my life, but I don't mind it, so long as my hands work the way they should.

"What about you?"

[silenttrainbaby]

She gets a nod, then. Grey's good. He's as content as he knows how to be. He's not skilled enough to know how to make Tris smile and doesn't feel that compulsion, but he does pump his fists in a pantomime of running. They can train soon? Together?

[priordivergence]

"Yeah, I'm cleared to do the job I actually like," I say, smiling a little. About time too. I'd felt like I was losing my min at the desk.

[theresalwayshope]

Allison felt a little bit bad for poor Grey when he ate himself sick on cake batter and frosting, but she'd stopped him before he got actually sick. The ensuing bellyache was part of the experience, so she'd encouraged him to sip some soda if it got bad, and to have a little real food once the guests started arriving.

He seemed to have taken her advice, for the most part, because by the time she'd greeted all of her new arrivals and found herself with no one else to direct to the drinks and food, he was milling around fairly comfortably. He looked bright-eyed and perky, and kept running his hands over his own sweater, and she just...wanted to hug him.

She indulged herself after finally grabbing her own drink, wandering over to put an arm around his shoulders to give him a friendly little squeeze against her side.

"It looks like someone is enjoying his very first potluck." she laughed fondly, smoothing some of his hair back from his forehead, hair that was just starting to approach the vicinity of shaggy. "Am I right?"

[silenttrainbaby]

Not his first one, no. He'd had something like this at Bay and Daphne's party, at Porthos's party, though it wasn't exactly like this.

She smelled good when she hugged him and touched him, too. And she still smelled like cake (this was good and bad). He smiled as he shrugged, pointing to the other food. Was that what she'd meant by 'real food'?

[theresalwayshope]

Following his gaze, Allison nodded emphatically. "Yes, things with protein and complex carbs and that are not chocolate cake." she laughed, looping her arm through his to lead him over to the table. "People have been bringing all kinds of stuff, and I made beef bourguignon...that's beef burgundy, it's a meat stew slow cooked in wine. I'd give you some, but it's very rich, if your belly's still achey I don't want to make you sicker...ooh, here we go! Sheriff Stilinski brought a rotisserie chicken, and Dr. Banner brought some saffron rice...simple, easy on the tummy, but I happen to know Dr. Banner's saffron rice is really good. His girlfriend's my buddy, she's always bringing me leftovers of his cooking."

[silenttrainbaby]

Rice and meat. All right. Obediently, Grey reached for a plate and spooned some of each on there. And a few other things (nothing green, still).

He gave Allison a warm-eyed look, then. She was nice to him and treated him kindly and taught him to make a cake. She was his friend.

[theresalwayshope]

The look he gave her as he piled up his plate made Allison's chest tight for a moment, but in a good way as she grinned at him. Impulsively, she leaned over and planted a sisterly kiss on his cheek.

"I got your back, little buddy." she murmured, giving his hair a playful tousle as she eyed his plate. "And you, sir, need some veggies. Got anything against green beans?"