"Finny! Ada!" The five and six year olds bounced into the room with large smiles. They had known for a week that their aunt was coming back to town so they had decided to draw her a picture. The problem was they didn't know where their dad kept the paper and they didn't want to use their coloring books so the wall was the next best place for them to draw a picture for their aunt. The two young children clasped their hands behind their backs and looked down at their bare feet. Their father stood before them, pointing at the wall with creased brows. "What were you two doing?" He asked as he crossed his tattooed arms across his chest. The little boy spoke first. "We wanted to draw auntie a picture...like those morals she talks 'bout." Finnegan meant the murals that his aunt had been working on for a few months at the museum. "And we couldn't find the paper..." How could he be upset at them for long when they gave him a pout and such a sweet story? He might have looked like a tough guy but he was a big softie. He guessed it was because he was still young and had two very young children who liked to use his heart against him. They were definitely master manipulators already. "Come here," He bent down and opened his arms wide for his two kids. They ran into his waiting arms, scared that they were going to be in lots of trouble. "I can get the marker and crayon off the wall but you guys could have asked me for paper you know." Their dad chuckled before picking them both up. "Aunt Care-Bear is with her boyfriend right now but here in a little while we'll meet her at his house since you guys haven't met him yet, then we'll go to the toy store." The children cheered with joy; he didn't know if they were more excited to get a new toy or to see their aunt. Either way it was cute as fuck. Setting them down, he watched them scurry off to their room. [center]~*~[/center] It had been a year since she had last visited her hometown. It had been almost six months since the last time she seen her niece and nephew in person. They would talk on the phone and use the webcam to talk from time to time so it wasn't like they were strangers. She pointed out various places to her boyfriend and gave a bit of history, personal or otherwise, to go along with the building. He wasn't paying attention as she drove and talked to him. He was too busy texting and when she would ask who it was he would either snap at her or he would say it was his mom. Boy he did sure text his mom a lot, huh? This was the first time that she would be meeting his parents and brother. She was excited to meet them; he didn't talk much about his family or at least not like she talked about hers. He gave her a few more directions before they pulled up to a quaint little home that reminded her of the home she grew up in. Parking the car out front, the red haired woman couldn't contain her nerves, it wasn't every day that she got to meet the people closest to her boyfriend. Reinier was the first to reach the house and he was the one to knock on the door. They were let in and almost immediately a black lab welcomed them. She bent slightly and allowed the dog to sniff and lick her hand. The woman had a weak spot for animals so most of her time would likely be occupied by trying to befriend the lab. She didn't catch onto the words of her boyfriend until she was pulled into a kiss. "Ah, hello!" She shook the man's hand, "Carrington Carter, but you can call me Carrington or Cari." Carrington looked around the home while beside her, Reinier tried to shoo the lab away. They didn't have any animals because they lived in such a small apartment. They used to have a few goldfish until Reinier killed them by forgetting to feed them while she was off at work. "You have a lovely home." "Thank you dear." A woman called from the kitchen entrance. She bore a resemblance to her oldest son; both shared the same color of eyes and it looked like they once shared the same color of hair too, but time caught up to her. She wiped her hands on a small holiday themed dishtowel before slinging it over her shoulder and extending her arms out to Carrington. The red head was enveloped into a warm hug; it was a little embarrassing considering she didn't even know the woman's name. Reinier stood in the background with his brother. He watched his girlfriend with mild interest before turning his full attention to Derek. "Have a girl yet?" He asked. "My name is Marie, I sent my husband out to get a few things but he'll be back in a little while. Why don't I give you a tour?" Marie said as she took Carrington by the hand to lead her through the house. Once they were separated from the men and most of the tour was complete, Marie decided it was time to get to know the red head. "So how long have you been seeing my son?" Marie asked as she dusted off one of the old family photos in the upstairs hallway. "A year ma'am. Oh I like this color of paint..." Carrington trailed off as she gestured to the olive colored wall. "We can't change the color of the walls back at our apartment -" Marie cut the red head off, "You're living together?" There was a hint of doubt in her voice. Reinier had brought home so many girlfriends this year alone. If this woman and her son were truly together for that long then that meant Reinier was cheating. Marie had raised her sons to treat their women well, did she fail as a mother if Reinier was cheating? Marie clenched her hands at her sides. "Ma'am...are you alright?" Carrington asked as she looked at the older woman with worry. Did she say something wrong; would his family even like her after tonight? "It's fine dear; I just wasn't expecting that." Marie said with a nervous chuckle. Carrington gave her a small smile but remained quiet. She was too worried that she had messed everything up. [center]~*~[/center] Two hours later around five, Marie and Reinier were washing the dishes from dinner. They had eaten early because her husband had an upcoming shift and he wanted to eat with his family. The kitchen was quiet save for the small T.V on the counter that was playing a Christmas special. "She seems like a nice girl, where'd you meet her?" Marie asked her oldest son as she handed him one of the plates to rinse and dry. He shrugged and flicked his long bangs out of his eyes. "A party I think." She watched her son carefully, while she loved him greatly she couldn't bring herself to believe that he would cheat. She knew that he usually moved on pretty fast after a break up and part of her desperately wished that Carrington was lying about her and Reinier being together for a year. "Why didn't you tell us that you were living with her?" Again he shrugged. "It slipped my mind. It's natural after you've been with someone for so long." A year wasn't a long time by any means, but he was trying to play it off. "Oh...her brother is coming by with his kids to pick us up." Marie grinned; she didn't have any grandchildren and she had been missing the pitter patter of tiny bare feet on the floor. "Wonderful! It's been a while since we've had kids in the house." In the living room, Reinier and Derek's dad, Robert, was sitting in his large dark colored recliner. He was discussing a few of the old techniques used in the medical field while the woman listened intently. "We've got a few artifacts at the museum that you'd love then." She smiled. The black lab, Midnight, made a home on Carrington's feet. She was more than okay with the dog begging for attention. "Oh? I didn't know you worked in a museum." "Yeah - I create the displays and I do replicas of artifacts that can't go on display for the public. We've got a few skulls that show they were trepanned and some other things." She really enjoyed talking to Reinier's step-father. He was nice and always seemed interested in what she had to say. Carrington, in turn, was also interested about what Robert had to say and it was safe to claim that they were getting along swimmingly. [center]~*~[/center] A half hour later her brother pulled up to the house; He had talked to Reinier (since Carrington had been talking to Robert) and was given directions. Finny and Ada were standing slightly behind him with their hands clasped together as their dad knocked on the door. Marie opened it and welcomed them inside. "I have some cookies that I made earlier if you and your kids want some." The kids were thrilled with the prospect of having cookies and they almost forgot about their aunt until she called out their names. Finny was the first to launch himself at his aunt, he was giggling as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Reinier watched the little boy and then the little girl before turning his attention to their dad. He really didn't like Jamie but he tolerated him for the sake of Carrington. She adored her younger brother and his children. Jamie grinned. "Hey Derek." He said as he caught sight of the male. From time to time Jamie would help at the cafe where he worked and performed. They had met through a mutual friend some years back. "I didn't know you were related to Reinier." Robert announced that he had to go to work and he kissed his wife goodbye before leaving. Ada and Finny made gagging noises. "Ew. They kissed." Their dad was looking a little pink in the face and he quickly apologized to Marie. She laughed and brushed it off before bringing out a tray of cookies and hot cocoa for everyone. Marie really did miss when her boys were young; they had grown up so fast. She enjoyed the time she spent with children; Marie worked with sick kids all of the time and she tried to make their days brighter. After a few cookies and cocoa the group of five had left to the toy store. "Man I remember this place when we were kids." Jamie said as he opened the door for everyone. "Yeah, it hasn't changed much over the years, huh?" "Finnegan! Adalira!" Jamie followed his kids into the store as they tore off to go hunt for toys. Reinier looped his arm around Carrington's waist as they walked through the store. Every year Jamie and Carrington would participate in various charities, one was to get Christmas gifts for kids whose families couldn't afford them. Both Jamie and Carrington had been in the same situation growing up. Their family had bounced from place to place and dealt with financial hardships for most of their lives. It was when their father was able to get hired on at a local factory that they were able to live comfortably. The two children escaped their father and quickly made a bee line for a different isle.