All I want for Christmas is to be... anywhere else (tag Mary and Zeus) on At Home

Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne

July 10, 2020 9:30 AM

All I want for Christmas is to be... anywhere else (tag Mary and Zeus) by Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne

Ever since the portkey had dropped Tabitha, her wife and Zeus in Kensington, all Tabitha had done was wish away the hours before they could escape to Greece for the New Year. Her parent's house didn't feel like a home, regardless of the fact that she had grown up in it (evidenced by her bedroom which screamed about her Gryffindor loyalty and had remained unchanged since her teenage years). While she was getting on better with her parents, actually making an effort to reply to their letters rather than just screwing them up into a ball and tossing them into the nearest bin (whether they were on fire when they ended up in the bin was entirely dependent on her mood), seeing them in person made Tabitha feel awkward and uncomfortable.

She knew that her life wasn't the one that they had planned for her. They had wanted her to be married off into a wealthy Pureblood family and bear children that carried the all-important Hawthorne blood. Her father, Elijah, wanted to present nothing but an image of perfection to those on the outside because, in politics, appearances were everything. His desired appearance did not include a bisexual daughter with a wife. Nor did it include the small half-veela burden that had been clinging tightly to her hand, seeking comfort after their portkey.

Tabitha had not found the right words or phrases to describe the new path her life had taken so Elijah and Cassandra had never received a letter that mentioned Zeus. So, Tabitha had found herself walking up the steps to the front door, trying to mentally prepare herself for the onslaught that had inevitably followed their arrival. There had been many questions (understandably), several comments (not all of them nice) and then a resigned acceptance on her mother's part that the small child was there to stay. Cassandra, while she still had her reservations, had sort of taken to the boy, perhaps unable to ignore her maternal instincts. Her father, however, had not been so welcoming, instead choosing to ignore the boy altogether and certainly never cracking a smile at the child (though Tabitha wasn't all that surprised by this as he rarely smiled at her).

It was all going as well as could be expected until Christmas Eve. The Hawthornes always held an extravagant Christmas Day ball for anyone who was anyone so that meant that Christmas Eve was reserved for close family. So, early in the evening, they were all gathered around the dinner table, tucking into the luxurious dinner the house elves had prepared. Tabitha was trying, rather in vain, to engage her father in conversation and even though the subject was politics, he was doing his level best to keep silent. Tabitha had had enough. She and Mary and Zeus could've been in Greece whether they were welcome and wanted. Instead, she was having to deal with her petulant father.

Annoyed and giving up, Tabitha decided to seek conversation elsewhere and turned to her wife, asking, "How are you enjoying your dinner?"

20 Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne All I want for Christmas is to be... anywhere else (tag Mary and Zeus) 1417 1 5

Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

July 10, 2020 10:05 AM

Team Tabitha. by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

Mary always had emotions about everything, but especially going to visit Tabitha's parents. For one, although they did generally seem to like Mary herself, they weren't thrilled at their marriage. It was sort of one of those we're sad you screwed up so badly but if you were going to do it, at least you got a nice lady to be a screw up with, which wasn't very nice. She thought she'd made a rather good impression on her first visit and they'd generally gotten along well since then, but that didn't make it necessarily any easier to be the walking embodiment of Tabitha's failure to live up to high society standards. At the same time, it was family. Family Christmases weren't things that Mary had had for a decade and a half, apart from Darius and Evangeline, and the little family in Kensington. Noses in the air and frowns in place, the Hawthornes were still the closest thing to biological family that Mary had anymore. Plus, it was a little bit hilarious to watch Tabitha go head to head with older Tabitha and older dude Tabitha.

Zeus had, Mary had found out, not been mentioned before arriving upon the doorstep to what was effectively his grandparents' house. Of course, it doesn't. They all knew that. But Zeus seemed attached to the concept of Mary and Tabitha as his replacement parents and that was where that left them. Mary had taken it upon herself to prepare the little one for what was undoubtedly going to be an okay time at best. They had talked about how he was a surprise and how they would be confused and maybe upset if he call Mary and Tabitha "mommy and daddy." Tabitha, in particular, had preferred Zeus not call them that, but Mary wasn't about to tell an orphan toddler not to call his guardians by parental titles when he was finally beginning to. So she'd made it a suggestion and explained why. Zeus was smart; he'd figure it out. They had also only referred to Tabitha's parents by their names, which seemed less harsh. Functionally his grandparents, they were probably not going to be functioning as grandparents.

The arrival had gone exactly as Mary expected, although she hadn't been sure whether Cassandra would take to Zeus and that was a nice surprise. Elijah had not at all taken to Zeus and Mary thought that he should be careful because if he waved his nose any higher, it would go right over his head and he'd be stuck smelling his . . . well, she kept such ideas to herself.

It was Christmas Eve, which was sort of exciting. This was their first Christmas Eve as parents/guardians. Mary had insisted they go overboard within reasonable constrains. While she hadn't wanted Zeus to feel like they were plying him with gifts in return for affection, and while their quarters at Sonora definitely didn't need a thousand more toys scattered about, there were things that she thought it would be nice to get for Zeus. He had clued in on both the excitement and the modesty of the occasion and was sitting quietly, eating his dinner with a happy grin. He knew it was best to behave and also he took after Mary enough to think it was a bit hilarious to watch Tabitha get all in a grump over things like this.

To be fair, it really wasn't funny. It was awful and tragic to think that Tabitha had grown up in this sort of environment. At the same time, she got this super cute little wrinkle in the middle of her forehead and her accent got thicker and she just became so perfectly British and so perfectly Gryffindor and so perfectly Tabitha and the whole thing was adorable. Until she got really mad and then it wasn't adorable anymore, but then Mary was not going to be adorable either because she had some poisons to think about brewing. So far, it hadn't come to that, but the thought exercise did make her feel better.

At the moment, Tabitha and her father were . . . not really arguing politics. They were sort of just making small comments full of layers of unspoken meaning at each other and eating tensely. Cassandra and Mary had maintained some small talk but mostly they were just sitting quietly, apparently both happy enough enjoying the food that they didn't need to get into more than that. Again, Mary was happy Zeus got that much from her. Or whomever he'd gotten it from.

And then Tabitha turned in to an absolute friggin' traitor and brought Mary into the fray. Resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at her wife, Mary nodded. "It's really delicious," she smiled softly, although her tone was sincere. She nodded to Cassandra, wanting to make sure that her compliments went the right direction, before looking back at Tabs. She wanted to make a joke about eating so much she'd have to skip the ball, but that seemed dangerous. She wanted to make a different joke about eating herself into a food coma and then tickle Zeus to make him laugh as he argued about having to get up early for presents, and then tickle him more for being a toad about wanting to get up early for presents and 'who said you were getting any presents' and all that, but she refrained. Instead, she was just polite. And she didn't even stick her tongue out! "How's yours, love?"

22 Mary Brooding-Hawthorne Team Tabitha. 1424 0 5

Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne

July 13, 2020 2:17 PM

I'll get you a jacket with my name. by Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne

CW: homophobia

Any doubts that Tabitha had ever had about her marriage had always been as a result of her own self-doubt, when the nasty little voice in her head escaped its locked box and decided to ask those silly little questions that were absurd but were perfectly designed to make her feel weak. Sitting next to her wife, facing Elijah's intolerance and stony silence together, Tabitha had no doubts whatsoever. Mary was never anything but supportive and for this entire awful trip, Mary had been nothing but amazing. She had looked after Zeus wonderfully, hadn't risen to Elijah's sharp comments and had been Tabitha's rock. There had been more than one night where Tabitha had practically worn a hole in the floor of her bedroom from pacing, furiously ranting about something her father had said during the day.

Her anger always dissipated (temporarily) when she looked at her wife and it calmed now as Tabitha returned Mary's smile. "Mine is lovely," she replied before reaching for Mary's hand and giving it a squeeze out of habit and seeking comfort. She also pressed a fleeting kiss to Mary's cheek.

"Tabitha," Elijah's stern voice immediately had her attention and the smile she had faded as her grey eyes met the older ones of her father. "Do not do that at the table, please."

Tabitha's features immediately arranged themselves into a deep scowl, her jaw tensing as she stared at her father. She didn't say anything immediately, her brain trying to work out the right response. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that her mother had stopped eating and was watching both her husband and daughter, uncertain as to what was about to happen. Tabitha had always known that her father didn't agree with her marriage and only just about tolerated Mary in his house. He had made more than one comment in the past and Tabitha had often ignored them because she knew that it didn't matter how much she fought, she wouldn't be able to change his mind. He wouldn't support her marriage. Instead, she chose to spend as little time as possible in his company.

Enough was enough.

"Mary is my wife, I shall hold her hand and kiss her if I want to," she said slowly and tensely, her hands gripped so tightly around her cutlery, her knuckles were turning white. "That is my right."

"It is not appropriate at the dinner table, Tabitha," Elijah answered, glaring at his daughter. He would get her to back down as he had several times in the past. Living in America, he had allowed her to do as she pleased as her actions wouldn't affect his political image. He had no connections in America so it hardly mattered. Perhaps it was time that changed. Enough was enough. It was time that she showed him the respect he deserved. "It is vulgar."

Tabitha wasn't going to bend or ignore his comments. Not this time. "What is vulgar, father? Is it the kiss or the fact that your daughter just kissed her wife? I recall that you never had a problem with me kissing John-Joseph Anderson," she hissed. There was a heat prickling her skin, her blood simmering beneath the surface.

The sound of cutlery clattering against china was sharp and defeaning as Elijah roughly pushed back his chair and stood up, rising to his full height in a clear move to intimidate his daughter. He ignored his wife trying to defuse the situation. He would not be disrespected like this in his own house. Tabitha would do as she was told. "I have let you run wild, make your own absurd choices, given all the freedom that you begged me for but enough is enough. I will not be spoken to with such disrespect."

20 Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne I'll get you a jacket with my name. 1417 0 5

Zeus Brooding-Hawthorne-Smith

July 13, 2020 3:00 PM

And one for me? by Zeus Brooding-Hawthorne-Smith

Zeus thought this whole thing was very odd. His first mom and daddy hadn't been this fancy and his new mom and daddy weren't this fancy, but daddy's mom and daddy (who weren't the same as grandparents?) were very fancy. They ate funny food and made funny faces and said funny words that meant one thing even though they really meant another. It was exhausting and Zeus was glad that he got to spend most of the time with mommy or with the lady that wasn't his grandma. Mommy had been reading him lots of books and going for walks and snuggling and it had been great. He missed snuggles and he was glad that mommy didn't mind. Even the lady who wasn't grandma (she was totally grandma) read him books sometimes and she came on walks with him and mommy. She always seemed nicer than the man who wasn't his grandpa (Zeus was fine with him not being his grandpa if he was going to be a dung beetle to daddy) and when that man got daddy upset, mommy and daddy's mommy would take turns trying to help. Or, sometimes, they would just ignore it.

Right now, at dinner with all the funny food and funny faces and funny words, daddy and daddy's daddy were saying words that didn't sound angry but that Zeus was pretty sure were angry and then daddy kissed mommy's face and mommy and daddy looked all happy and then daddy's daddy got upset. Because it was vulgar. Zeus didn't know what that word meant but it sounded a little bit like vulture and vultures were gross birds that ate dead things and Zeus hated them. Mommy and daddy kissing wasn't anything like gross birds and he frowned at the idea that someone would think it was. Mommy especially had taken time to warn him that daddy's mom and daddy might not be very nice all the time because they had a lot of thoughts that they didn't know what to do with and that some people in the world thought that people like mommy and daddy were gross. Well Zeus thought they were stupid dung beetles with worms for brains and they were the vulgar vultures.

His frown got deeper and he screwed up his face with displeasure when daddy's daddy stood up like he was angry and when he wasn't being nice to daddy. His not grandma was trying to make him stop and mommy was being quiet but seemed to be trying to keep an eye on Zeus himself. He wanted to tell her that he was okay but he didn't want to draw attention to mommy when she was trying to be quiet. Maybe she was just worried he'd be scared. When she didn't find any fear there, however, she spoke up in a voice he'd never heard mommy use before.

It was cold and low and cut through all the funny food and funny faces and funny words. "If you are going to belittle my relationship with your daughter," mommy said, looking up at not grandpa with the darkest, blackest, coldest eyes he'd ever seen her have. She didn't stand up, he noticed, and he wondered if it was because she was super small compared to other adults so it didn't matter if she was sitting down or standing up. "I would appreciate if you would refrain from doing so in front of the child we are raising together."

Zeus looked from daddy's daddy to mommy and then to daddy and then to daddy's mommy and then he just kept looking around at people. He wasn't sure what a John-Joseph Anderson was but Zeus was pretty sure that daddy said she'd kissed one once. Did not grandpa think that a John-Joseph Anderson was a nice bird and mommy was a gross bird? Metaphorically speaking, of course, because Zeus was a genius and he understood how metaphors worked sometimes like how some colors were happy colors even though they didn't have smiley faces or anything on them.

He nodded to show he agreed with what mommy was saying, even though he didn't know all the words. "Mary and Tabby are nice," he said, remembering to use their names. "I think you're vulg-- vul-- vulture," he added, scowling at daddy's daddy, who he was glad wasn't his grandpa.

22 Zeus Brooding-Hawthorne-Smith And one for me? 1576 0 5

Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne

July 17, 2020 2:12 PM

I'll wrap you up in mine. by Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne

If it wasn't for the very hostile situation, Tabitha might've laughed at what Zeus had said. She was sure that 'vulture' wasn't what he'd been trying to say but it was surprisingly accurate. Elijah was a vulture. He circled, waiting, scavenging. Only, instead of picking at the remains of a dead animal's carcass, he preferred to peck at the faults and flaws he found in his daughter and the many other people who didn't meet his absurdly high standards. Instead of laughing, however, Tabitha found herself fearful for the four year old who had placed himself in the path of her father's wrath.

No matter where she was, Tabitha was never far from her wand and she slowly moved her hand into the pocket of her blazer, drawing comfort from finding her wand and gripping it. While she had never drawn her wand on her father before, there was a defenceless four year old in the room. She hoped her father wouldn't sink to such a low level as to hurt a child but Elijah was already antagonised by Zeus' existence, as well as his daughter's disobedience and the presence of her life partner. This situation was rather unpredictable. So, discreetly, while his attention was momentarily not focused on her, she began to move towards Zeus, deliberately putting herself in a better position to protect him.

Elijah was furious, red in the face with anger. What right did this beast have to speak to him like that? What on earth had Tabitha been thinking, bringing this creature into the comfort of his home? He had always known that his daughter had a rather unhealthy obsession with the beasts that roamed the earth but this was a step too far. Taking in the beastly child and declaring him family? What was the matter with her? Even Cassandra seemed to have taken to the child but Elijah was convinced that it was as a result of the boy's magic. It was inconceivable that his wife would agree with this urchin being a part of the Hawthorne family. It was only just about tolerable that his daughter's wife was.

He took a step closer to Zeus, towering above him. "Who do you think you are, brat?" he spat and Tabitha started to pull her wand from her pocket. "You dare insult me? You're nothing more than a beast, an abomination with your half-veela blood. You're disgusting and you would do well to learn some respect. Maybe I can teach you,"

Elijah's hand barely grazed his wand which had been resting in the chest pocket of his dinner jacket before Tabitha had skillfully and instantly disarmed him, Elijah's wand now resting in her other hand while her wand was pointed directly at him. Her lips were twisted as she stood protectively in front of Zeus, her entire body shielding him from Elijah's view. She was slightly trembling, feeling the rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"That's my son," she snarled, standing up the man who had belittled and insulted and poked and prodded her for decades. "The only thing you're teaching him today is how he shouldn't behave and I will make sure that he never becomes anything like you."

20 Tabitha Brooding-Hawthorne I'll wrap you up in mine. 1417 0 5

Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

July 18, 2020 8:39 PM

You won't be alone. by Mary Brooding-Hawthorne

Tabitha was moving into a distinctly more defensive position. This wasn't really that unusual, as Tabitha was usually defensive about one thing or another, but that effort was normally directed as a quiet habitual movement towards Mary herself. As a result, most of the time, Mary didn't have to think about it or take it terribly seriously. Tabitha would respond to something in the environment that Mary hadn't noticed and it would be fine. But now, Tabitha was moving to protect her . . . son?? Mary's heart swelled and shattered at the same time.

Heat flooded under her skin as Elijah spoke. She was fairly surprised that he hadn't had anything to say to her, but perhaps that spoke to his perverted mind that even in his anger, he couldn't come at the wife of his own offspring. Instead, he turned on their child. As he insulted the parts of Zeus that were part of a woman Mary had once loved, Mary thought that if she herself was a veela, she probably would've burst into the scary bird part of one. She had a very brief daydream of ripping his throat out but decided against it. That wasn't to say she'd decided against all forms of action, though.

Tabitha disarmed Elijah, which spoke to the sincere threat the woman perceived. She wasn't one to act hastily and Mary's own sense of the threat raised dramatically. At the same time, the actual danger level reduced as Elijah no longer had a wand. Unfortunately, Zeus did himself no favors by reacting as well.

Before Mary could do anything - really, Tabitha had to be very disappointed in her wife's reaction time in such situations - Zeus let out a short scream. At first, Mary assumed it was anger or frustration, and maybe it was when it first escaped his tiny mouth. Except that he looked . . . different. It was nothing like the bird-like facade full-blooded veela could manage, but he was distinctly less cute and seemed more dangerous than a five-year-old should be able to. More than that, his hands had been consumed with sparking balls of fire which were threatening to catch the table cloth on fire, and his anxiety seemed to be rising with his confusion. "Daddy?!" he shrieked, sounding afraid now.

"No, little one," Mary said in a soft voice, sharp enough to catch his attention but kind enough not to scare him. "Hold your breath and then let it go all at once. Just relax."

Zeus' eyes were dark with what could only be described as fear then, but he did as he was told, following Mary's guidance as she followed her own command too. Almost immediately, the flames subsided. It was impossible to say for sure whether it was simple accidental magic, or something more than that. Mary, for one, wasn't going to think about that right now. She smiled at Zeus, nodding her pride for his self-control, before cautioning a glance up at Tabitha. Her wife was probably the only one who would have been able to see the deep concern in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Zeus said quietly, his eyes damp.

Mary pushed herself to her feet and cast a dangerous glare at Elijah before looking back to Zeus. "It's alright, little one. Let's get you ready for bed and we can rest, okay?"

Glancing apologetically at Tabitha for leaving her to deal with the rest of this, Mary led Zeus out of the room, making soft soothing sounds until he asked to be picked up, at which point she carried him the rest of the way to hers and Tabitha's bed.

22 Mary Brooding-Hawthorne You won't be alone. 1424 0 5