Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

[alderwitch]

"Mostly take it day by day," Taylor said with a small smile. She shrugged, her hands still in her pockets. "It's a little strange to be a solo act again. I mean, sometimes I coax Jack into moonlighting a little but politics keep him busy and its hard to find a reliable babysitter that the kids like as much as they did Erin. Little hellions that they are. I do miss Avenger, though."

 

She tipped her face up then towards the cool winter sun, "So at the moment, just taking it a day at a time. I'm sure Jack has plans within plans but we've found its best for our marriage if I stay out of a lot of the vampire-y stuff. For a number of reasons, really."

Edited February 7, 2016 by alderwitch

[Heritage]

"Yeah, sure. Right," Lynn responded lightly, though that took some effort. Despite her friendship with Taylor, Lynn would never be entirely comfortable with the reality of what Jack truly was; the very nature of vampirism disurbed her on a visceral level that was hard to ignore. But she understood that things were never black and white, and if you had to have vampire politicians, you wanted people like Jack filling those shoes; he was a loving husband and family man, which counted for a lot in her book.

 

"So, when do I get the chance to see the little guy? You and Jack set the parameters, the where and the when; whatever's the best for everyone." She knew Jack was very protective of his family, but she hoped something could be worked out.

 

 

[alderwitch]

"You know you're welcome to come over to the manor - just give us forewarning," Taylor said cheerfully, in the manner one would generally use to refer to wanting to do a bit of clean-up before guests rather than the more accurate vampire need to adjust to outsiders in his lair. "He's growing like a weed and, except for the fact that he's got to stick to a diurnal schedule, is enjoying school in general though I'm not sure what I'll do if Ammy doesn't end up at Nicholson next year too. I think JJ has some rather unyielding expectations."

 

Taylor shrugged slightly, adding, "We're trying to relax and let the boys have some normalcy, such as it is. We even went to a barbecue at Stesha's with some other families. It was nice. It's just about trying to find a balance, really."

[Heritage]

Lynn nodded. "That's always the challenge; acknowledging their specialness while still allowing for normalcy. It's a tough balancing act, to be sure." She sighed. "We did a good job with the twins the first time around; it helped that Bill was around more back then. But with Jon-Jon, I spoiled him, cut him too much slack; I didn't notice the warning signs until it was way too late, and he started to get into trouble. I had no idea how much he hated his father, for not being around, for being human..."

 

She sighed again, then shook her head and smiled. "So yeah, set something up! Saturdays are usually good for me, but give me a week's notice, and I can be free pretty much whenever; it helps when you're the one writing the schedule."

Edited February 15, 2016 by Heritage

[alderwitch]

Taylor blinked - not exactly certain what to say to that - but gave a small, slow nod. "You can only do what you can do. No parent is perfect. I'm sure you did your best, Lynn," Taylor offered gently. She smiled slightly and gave a nod of her head to the latter statement, "I'll have to check what Jack's schedule is - and the kids, they're getting almost as busy as their father with school and friends and activities. But I'm sure we can make a Saturday work, barring extra dimensional incursions."

 

It could have been a joke coming from anyone else but Taylor sounded, and probably actually was, serious. 

[Heritage]

Lynn nodded and grinned as she started walking again. "Okay, cool! Let's make this happen!" Then she rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. "Hmm; I'd like to bring along some gifts, y'know, for you guys and the kids. Any suggestions? Dos or definitely don'ts?"

 

She knew that she and Jack would probably never be good friends; they were too different, though in some ways very similar as well. But she could be gracious, respectful and turn her judgemental side down to two or three; she could be a good friend to her friend, and enjoy a visit with her kids. After all, she was a bit of a monster, too.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Heritage

[alderwitch]

"Oh, you don't need to bring anything, really," Taylor tried to demure before offering helpful suggestions, "Jack is the worst to try and shop for. Every holiday, I still struggle to find something suitable. I think part of it, is that there's very little in the gift range of things that he doesn't just pick up when the mood strikes him. Bottles of wine are probably the safest gift if you really want to get something. As for the kids, well, Huang's been interested in Egyptian mythos lately - the reasons are rather clear - and oddly enough, those old John Hughes movies." 

 

Her cheeks dimpled as she moved onto her youngest, "As for JJ, he's largely - largely - out of his biting phase and is a fairly typical five year old. Super Heroes, mostly. Especially the Centurion. I didn't even know they still made Centurion sheets." She gave a little wave of her hand to dismiss it, "But really, just brining yourself is present enough."