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

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

"Yeah but I thought I should bring something I actually went out to get. So you're not always having to get the stuff for me." Kenzi replied with a warm smile as she leaned into him briefly till he nudged her gently to the sofa where they could sit down.

Settling in her spot, she continued to smile as she set her plate on her lap and her drink on the little table beside her. "I know, we're making a lot of progress lately. I swear, science has never been more fun." She nodded. "If science had been like that in school, I might have liked it."

She had been studying her food till she heard the comment about being in public and she was quick to look up again. "What?" She saw the heat then and she felt herself going suddenly a bit breathless. "Well, how long do we have to stay for?"

[the_other_guy]

"Guess that depends on what's polite." he mused, catching her reaction and feeling his own lungs suddenly get a little strained as he drew in a breath. This was...god, though. Flirting, with actual intent...in some ways, physical contact was safer because the statement and the action were combined: he did not reach out to her unless he felt safe in doing so, but flirting...

That involved making promises and threats, even if they were lascivious in nature. He could say whatever he wanted, but then he might be called upon to follow through. The risk was always there, a new element of both fear and intimacy, and he needed to push those boundaries.

"We live in the same building, but she's really your friend over being mine." he pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "How would she feel if you had to cut and run because your boyfriend might be getting a little hot under the collar? Or vice versa?"

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

As much as Kenzi would like to tell him that he had to follow through on some of the flirtatious promises he made, she knew that she couldn't. This was just another part of the process for them to get him used to being in a relationship and all it could entail.

"I don't know." She looked over the party to see where Allison was at the moment. "Maybe an hour or so? Maybe shorter than that." She figured Allison was too busy to really notice them leaving or that she would at least understand why somewhat.

"Are you sure you want to leave though?" She asked, wondering if he would need time to sit back and be calm.

[the_other_guy]

She was calling his bluff, and while part of him loved her for it, there was another part of him that was growing to hate the need for it with every passing day. Every time he had to think about touching her, every time he had to stop himself from getting closer in the name of property damage...

He didn't know if that growing kernel of restlessness in his heart was a good sign or a bad sign.

"I probably shouldn't." he finally confessed, staring at his plate for a second with a sigh as he pushed a little rice around before looking up at her again, dark eyes filled with that same thread of heat, only this time it was tempered with longing.

"But I want to. I always want to." he assured her, a more playful smile blossoming on her features. "Just...leave this party and go find another cowboy bar, know what I mean?"

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Kenzi told herself not to be disappointed because she had pretty much expected his answer to be exactly what he said to her. They had probably pushed the boundaries enough tonight and he needed to spend awhile keeping himself in control.

But then he was mentioning the cowboy bar to reassure her that he still thought about it and wanted what had happened that night. It was enough to make her smile a little.

"I know what you mean." She scooped up some more food for another bite.

[the_other_guy]

He hated that little flicker of disappointment in her eyes, hated letting her down...but he hated still more the idea of hurting her, hurting anyone, and one of the best things about her was that she got that in a way few people could.

She'd laid down her life to save, literally, everyone. With nothing more than faith in her best friend, certain only that she alone was the answer...she made the choice only once, while he had to make it every day, but once was enough. Once was everything to him.

"What about this coming weekend?" he offered after a moment, thinking out loud. "You, me, alone. Put the Other Guy through his paces...explore the other side of the equation. I mean...I'm not asking you to sleep with him," he added with a wry grin, "but see how he reacts to a little physical affection."

He paused, finishing the thought in his head before he kept speaking. "Maybe there are...psychological issues on the other side of this equation that could help us find balance. Maybe if he craves intimacy...maybe it could help bring us closer to our goal."

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Kenzi tilted her head as he suggested the coming weekend, arching a brow curious as he brought the Other Guy into it as well. Then her eyes started to widen till he reassured her that he wasn't asking her to sleep with Him. "Uh good because there is no way I could do..." She motioned at her lap. "That."

But the idea of affection was interesting to her. Maybe he was right in thinking that it was something psychological, something they had to get the Other Guy interested in and comfortable with as well.

"So...like what? Do you want me to hug him and stuff?"