What Happens At Christmas Parties...
Title: What Happens At Christmas Parties…
Author: fireflowersims
Rating: Everyone
Universes: An AU of the Morgan Legacy
Summary: “You are incorrigible.” “I’m told it runs in the family.”
Notes: So looooong before Vaughn/Marina became canon, Marina and I were joking around about how Vaughn and Marina would get along in a Jade-free universe. It’s been three years since we outlined this scenario and I finally got around to actually writing it. So here you go, how Vaughn and Marina’s relationship could have been had he never gotten married.
No one, Vaughn noted affectionately as he looked around the room, threw Christmas parties like De and Marina. There were family and friends everywhere, plenty of food, instrumental Christmas music playing, stacks of gifts under not one but two trees, and--was that his parents making out under the mistletoe? Yikes.
Vaughn grimaced and ducked into the next room before such a sight could kill his Christmas spirit. The library was also occupied by a few people, including, Vaughn was pleased to see, Marina. He hadn’t really gotten to see her yet, so he crossed the room and perched on the arm of the overstuffed chair she was curled up in.
“Are you reading during your own party?” he asked in mock horror.
She looked up from the pages. “You know how I feel about parties. Besides, Spencer gave me this for Christmas and it’s really good so far.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I don’t really read a whole lot.”
“Are you sure you’re De’s kid?” she teased.
“Hey, I have my own life to lead! Places to be, ladies to woo…”
“Mmhmm.”
“I’m a Fitzhugh, it comes with the territory.”
“Teagan doesn’t woo ladies.”
“I’m a Fitzhugh Romance sim,” he pointed out with dignity. “One with the Nose, no less.”
“That does make a difference.”
“I know! I’ve heard you tell Mom a million times how much you love it.”
She shook her head. “From a genetics perspective.”
“From a lady’s perspective,” he corrected her. “Come on, Marina, admit it.”
Marina paused. “Well, I don’t know. Romance sims aren’t really my type-”
“Lies: we all know how you feel about Ashley.”
“-and I don’t go for sims I raised. Sorry, dear.”
“Marina,” he said solemnly, “you don’t need to hide your feelings. It’s been years in your time since I was a Child, and you weren’t my nanny before that.”
Marina shook her head fondly. “You are incorrigible.”
“I’m told it runs in the family.”
“It certainly does.” Though she didn’t pull away when he took her hand. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things,” he said serenely.
“Vaughn-”
“Kissing’s always a good start.”
“I’m not going to kiss you,” she informed him.
“You don’t really get a choice, I’m afraid.”
“What?”
Vaughn waited a beat, then, glad that Iago and Morgan had long since exited the library, pointed right up at the other reason he’d gone over to her.
The mistletoe hanging high, high above her favorite chair.
Marina stared, her hand tightening on Vaughn‘s. “… How did De even get that up there?”
“’She moves in mysterious ways,’” Vaughn quoted solemnly.
Clearly resigned, she managed to tear her eyes away from the mistletoe. “Might as well get this over with,” she said. “Just don’t go around bragging to everyone--your father will kill me.”
“Come on, live dangerously,” he advised her with a grin, cupping his free hand against her cheek. Then he leaned down, careful to maintain his balance, and kissed her.
Though he’d spent quite some time idly hitting on Marina every chance he got (as long as his father wasn’t in earshot) and he’d been planning to enjoy the kiss (and use it as fodder for more teasing flirtation in the generations to come) this immediate burst of heat was nothing like he’d expected. He heard her gasp quietly just before she grasped his arm and deepened the kiss, and the way he was leaning was going to kill his back before too much longer but he could put up with just about anything if he could just keep kissing Marina.
“Wow, you two are really lucky Mom didn’t send Morgan to find you instead,” said an amused voice.
Vaughn and Marina immediately pulled apart, and he barely caught himself in time to keep from overbalancing and falling off the chair. “Mordred,” he said as brightly as he could, smiling at his older brother like he didn’t want to kick his ass for interrupting. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Mordred returned, leaning in the doorway. “I’d ask how you’re doing but I don’t think I have to.”
“Mordred, please don’t say anything,” Marina said anxiously. “If Rhys hears-”
“I know. I won’t. You know I can keep a secret.”
“Thank you.”
“Question is, can you two?” With that thought, he returned to the main room.
Vaughn wanted nothing more than to lock the door behind him and spend the rest of the party with Marina. Instead he determinedly squashed his Romance sim impulses and forced himself to stand up, taking a few steps to the left of the chair. He shoved his hands into his pockets for good measure. “Should we talk about this? We should talk about this. Right?”
“You certainly didn‘t get that from your father,” she commented, summoning a wan smile. She got up as well, grasping her nearly-forgotten book in fingers he noticed were trembling a bit, and stood rather pointedly on the opposite side of the chair. “Remind me not to let De help with the decorating next year.”
“I don’t know, I think she did a great job. Plus if anyone does find out, mistletoe does make for a really convenient excuse. You know, if you want to keep acting like we wish it hadn’t happened.”
“It’s easier that way.”
“But not better.”
Marina glanced at the door. “Mordred said De was looking for us.”
“Yeah, he did.” Vaughn paused. As much as he wanted to continue debating the point, he didn’t want to argue with her. Especially not on Christmas. So he injected some levity into his tone. “How long do you and Mom usually leave the decorations up? A few extra days? I was thinking about coming back tomorrow-”
“Incorrigible,” she said in amusement, shaking her head. “Completely incorrigible.”
“You know it’s one of your favorite things about me.”
Marina smiled. “Maybe it is.”
Author: fireflowersims
Rating: Everyone
Universes: An AU of the Morgan Legacy
Summary: “You are incorrigible.” “I’m told it runs in the family.”
Notes: So looooong before Vaughn/Marina became canon, Marina and I were joking around about how Vaughn and Marina would get along in a Jade-free universe. It’s been three years since we outlined this scenario and I finally got around to actually writing it. So here you go, how Vaughn and Marina’s relationship could have been had he never gotten married.
No one, Vaughn noted affectionately as he looked around the room, threw Christmas parties like De and Marina. There were family and friends everywhere, plenty of food, instrumental Christmas music playing, stacks of gifts under not one but two trees, and--was that his parents making out under the mistletoe? Yikes.
Vaughn grimaced and ducked into the next room before such a sight could kill his Christmas spirit. The library was also occupied by a few people, including, Vaughn was pleased to see, Marina. He hadn’t really gotten to see her yet, so he crossed the room and perched on the arm of the overstuffed chair she was curled up in.
“Are you reading during your own party?” he asked in mock horror.
She looked up from the pages. “You know how I feel about parties. Besides, Spencer gave me this for Christmas and it’s really good so far.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I don’t really read a whole lot.”
“Are you sure you’re De’s kid?” she teased.
“Hey, I have my own life to lead! Places to be, ladies to woo…”
“Mmhmm.”
“I’m a Fitzhugh, it comes with the territory.”
“Teagan doesn’t woo ladies.”
“I’m a Fitzhugh Romance sim,” he pointed out with dignity. “One with the Nose, no less.”
“That does make a difference.”
“I know! I’ve heard you tell Mom a million times how much you love it.”
She shook her head. “From a genetics perspective.”
“From a lady’s perspective,” he corrected her. “Come on, Marina, admit it.”
Marina paused. “Well, I don’t know. Romance sims aren’t really my type-”
“Lies: we all know how you feel about Ashley.”
“-and I don’t go for sims I raised. Sorry, dear.”
“Marina,” he said solemnly, “you don’t need to hide your feelings. It’s been years in your time since I was a Child, and you weren’t my nanny before that.”
Marina shook her head fondly. “You are incorrigible.”
“I’m told it runs in the family.”
“It certainly does.” Though she didn’t pull away when he took her hand. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things,” he said serenely.
“Vaughn-”
“Kissing’s always a good start.”
“I’m not going to kiss you,” she informed him.
“You don’t really get a choice, I’m afraid.”
“What?”
Vaughn waited a beat, then, glad that Iago and Morgan had long since exited the library, pointed right up at the other reason he’d gone over to her.
The mistletoe hanging high, high above her favorite chair.
Marina stared, her hand tightening on Vaughn‘s. “… How did De even get that up there?”
“’She moves in mysterious ways,’” Vaughn quoted solemnly.
Clearly resigned, she managed to tear her eyes away from the mistletoe. “Might as well get this over with,” she said. “Just don’t go around bragging to everyone--your father will kill me.”
“Come on, live dangerously,” he advised her with a grin, cupping his free hand against her cheek. Then he leaned down, careful to maintain his balance, and kissed her.
Though he’d spent quite some time idly hitting on Marina every chance he got (as long as his father wasn’t in earshot) and he’d been planning to enjoy the kiss (and use it as fodder for more teasing flirtation in the generations to come) this immediate burst of heat was nothing like he’d expected. He heard her gasp quietly just before she grasped his arm and deepened the kiss, and the way he was leaning was going to kill his back before too much longer but he could put up with just about anything if he could just keep kissing Marina.
“Wow, you two are really lucky Mom didn’t send Morgan to find you instead,” said an amused voice.
Vaughn and Marina immediately pulled apart, and he barely caught himself in time to keep from overbalancing and falling off the chair. “Mordred,” he said as brightly as he could, smiling at his older brother like he didn’t want to kick his ass for interrupting. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Mordred returned, leaning in the doorway. “I’d ask how you’re doing but I don’t think I have to.”
“Mordred, please don’t say anything,” Marina said anxiously. “If Rhys hears-”
“I know. I won’t. You know I can keep a secret.”
“Thank you.”
“Question is, can you two?” With that thought, he returned to the main room.
Vaughn wanted nothing more than to lock the door behind him and spend the rest of the party with Marina. Instead he determinedly squashed his Romance sim impulses and forced himself to stand up, taking a few steps to the left of the chair. He shoved his hands into his pockets for good measure. “Should we talk about this? We should talk about this. Right?”
“You certainly didn‘t get that from your father,” she commented, summoning a wan smile. She got up as well, grasping her nearly-forgotten book in fingers he noticed were trembling a bit, and stood rather pointedly on the opposite side of the chair. “Remind me not to let De help with the decorating next year.”
“I don’t know, I think she did a great job. Plus if anyone does find out, mistletoe does make for a really convenient excuse. You know, if you want to keep acting like we wish it hadn’t happened.”
“It’s easier that way.”
“But not better.”
Marina glanced at the door. “Mordred said De was looking for us.”
“Yeah, he did.” Vaughn paused. As much as he wanted to continue debating the point, he didn’t want to argue with her. Especially not on Christmas. So he injected some levity into his tone. “How long do you and Mom usually leave the decorations up? A few extra days? I was thinking about coming back tomorrow-”
“Incorrigible,” she said in amusement, shaking her head. “Completely incorrigible.”
“You know it’s one of your favorite things about me.”
Marina smiled. “Maybe it is.”