Welcome to the Family - A Fic (JayxOFC)
Title: Welcome to the Family
Prompt: 50. family
Characters: Assorted characters from Sound and the Silence Character Special on otherearth626
Teaser: Jay is introduced to Ellie's family.
"Well, here we are."
Jay looked around, his queasiness still not refusing to settle. In fact, that queasiness had been around since Ellie said that she was inviting him to spend the weekend at her house in Boston - as well as introduce him to her father.
Her father...he knew that things were more or less patched up between the two of them, and really, he was happy for that, but it didn't make meeting the man any less nerve-wracking. After all, this was Senator Arthur Ridley he was going to meet.
They were currently in the Ridley homestead: a gorgeous red-brick house in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. They were greeted at the door by a plump, middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform, who immediately took their bags away and whisked them upstairs.
When she came bustling back, she asked: "Now Ellie, might you tell me- Oh my!"
Jay had just slid his coat off at that moment, revealing his wings. Upon hearing the woman's reaction, he slid it right back on, suddenly ashamed.
Ellie smiled then, and put a hand on his forearm. "Edith, this is Jay Guthrie, my boyfriend. Jay, this is Edith, our housekeeper."
"Your boyfriend? Heavens, dear girl, does your father know?"
Ellie's smile became shy. "Well, sort of... They've just never met until now."
Edith nodded, and then turned her gaze to Jay, scrutinizing him from head to foot, before she smiled. "I can't say I don't like the look of him. He's quite the fine-looking young gentleman, I must say. And those wings! He's like one of those lovely angels in the windows of Trinity Church!"
"And he sings just like one too," Ellie added, pressing against Jay's side, to which Jay responded by pulling her close.
Edith laughed, and approached, one hand held out to him. "Hand me over that coat, dear boy. Nothing to be ashamed of, if you're Ellie's beau."
That made him blush. He glanced at Ellie, and noted the rather relieved smile on her face. Had she been hoping for Edith's approval?
As Edith led them to the kitchen for some refreshments, Ellie caught the way he was looking at her. She smiled, and explained: "Edith used to be Dad's nanny. She knows him inside-out, so if she likes you, then that means Dad's likely to feel the same way."
"I sure hope so," Jay murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of Ellie's head.
Edith settled them down in the kitchen with a pitcher of cool lemonade, and while she prepared sandwiches for the both of them she chattered about a variety of things - mostly humorous little anecdotes about Arthur Ridley's childhood, and news about what had been going on in Ellie's absence.
Just then, they heard the front door open, and a clear, crisp voice called out: "Edith! Edith, where are you?"
Edith stopped in the middle of refilling Jay's glass, and opened her mouth to answer, but the door opened then, revealing a tall, beautiful blonde woman dressed in an impeccable ivory ensemble.
"There you are," the woman said, to Edith, her voice showing her disapproval. "I was calling for you and you didn't answer me. What-" She stopped short then when her gaze fell on Ellie. "Ellie."
"Mother," Ellie replied with a small nod.
Jay raised an eyebrow. This woman was Ellie's mother? He looked at her again, and then back at Ellie. He knew he ought to have seen the resemblance somewhere, but he just couldn't. Maybe Ellie simply took more after her father?
"I did not know you were coming home," the woman said, her voice slightly formal. Her gaze slid over to Jay then, and her eyes widened slightly - a look that made Jay wish that he'd hidden his wings after all, resulting in a slight droop of said appendages.
The woman focused on Ellie again. "And who is...that?"
Ellie uttered a small sigh. "Mother, this is Jay Guthrie. Jay, this is my mother, Cecilie." As she spoke, she reached out to catch Jay's hand in hers, and when she squeezed his fingers, he squeezed hers back in reassurance.
Jay managed a smile. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Cecilie nodded, and also managed a smile. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Jay." She looked at Ellie again. "Your boyfriend?"
Ellie nodded, but did not say a word.
"I see. Well then, I will not interrupt you any further, and if you need me, I will be in the library." After that, she turned briefly to Edith to ask for some snacks and drinks to be sent upstairs, before she walked out, leaving the kitchen door flapping behind her.
After a few seconds of tense silence, Ellie seemed to relax, and she let go of Jay's hand to stare at her half-eaten sandwich. He leaned closer to her, genuinely concerned. In his family, his mother was all he and his siblings had, and the way Ellie and Cecilie spoke to each other troubled him. "Sweetheart? Is something wrong?
Ellie looked up, blinking in confusion, before she shook her head. "Oh no, no, nothing's wrong, except..." She sighed. "Mother's not really...used to seeing me around."
"Why do you talk about her that way? As if she wasn't really your mother at all."
"Because, technically speaking, she isn't. My biological mother - the woman I think of as Mom - died when I was very young. Dad remarried Cecilie when I was young too, so I haven't really known any other 'mother' except her. It wasn't until recently that Dad told me about Mom."
Edith clucked her tongue. "Hush now Ellie. You're being too harsh on the poor woman. She does love your father, you know - always loved him since they were young. But your mother...ah, now your father loved your mother. It was a pity that she died." She shrugged as she refilled Ellie's glass. "I suppose that, to Cecilie, you were the sole reminder of the fact that Artie loved someone else before her, and seeing that reminder everyday only made it sting the more. Also, she always feared that gift of yours - maybe because she thinks that you'll use it to tell your father to stop loving her, and that was something her heart simply could not take."
Ellie opened her mouth to speak, but they heard the door open again, and this time, the footsteps that echoed against the wooden floors were decidedly masculine.
Jay felt his heartbeat almost triple. This was it, he thought.
"Edith, did Ellie- Oh!" Arthur Ridley stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes taking in the scene before him.
Ellie smiled, and slid off the stool she had been sitting on to walk over, and give her father a hug. "Hi, Dad. Welcome home."
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Arthur asked teasingly, though he gave his daughter a fond kiss on the cheek. "Still, thank you." His gaze went to Jay then, and there was no denying the slight raise of his eyebrow. "Ellie, is this the boy you've told me about?"
"Uh huh." Ellie went over to Jay, and held his hand, a fond light in her eyes. "Dad, this is Jay Guthrie. Jay, this is my dad."
"Good afternoon Mr. Ridley, sir. It's an honor to meet you," Jay added, trying his best to smile and not let the butterflies in his stomach take over.
Arthur gave him a scrutinizing look. "So you're Ellie's schoolmate?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where are you from?"
"Artie!" Edith exclaimed, her voice pitched to scold. "You can drag the poor boy over the proverbial coals later. The least you can do right now is be nice and welcome him!"
Ellie laughed even as Arthur gave Edith a look that resembled that of a boy who had been caught doing something wrong. "Edith-"
"Don't you 'Edith' me! That boy is the one who's made your daughter blossom so and put such a lovely smile on her face, and the least you could do is welcome him into the family!"
Arthur sighed, defeated, and when he looked back at Jay, there was a warm smile on his face. "Pardon me if I've been rather cold, my boy. I'm still not used to the idea of my little Bethie placing her heart in another man's hands." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Though now I suppose I don't have much of a choice."
Jay gave Ellie a loving look. "I'm taking care of her as best as I can, sir. And I promise not to hurt her, ever."
"Well, that's always good to hear." And then, to Jay's infinite surprise, Arthur went over, and clasped his shoulder fondly. "Welcome to the family, my boy."
Prompt: 50. family
Characters: Assorted characters from Sound and the Silence Character Special on otherearth626
Teaser: Jay is introduced to Ellie's family.
"Well, here we are."
Jay looked around, his queasiness still not refusing to settle. In fact, that queasiness had been around since Ellie said that she was inviting him to spend the weekend at her house in Boston - as well as introduce him to her father.
Her father...he knew that things were more or less patched up between the two of them, and really, he was happy for that, but it didn't make meeting the man any less nerve-wracking. After all, this was Senator Arthur Ridley he was going to meet.
They were currently in the Ridley homestead: a gorgeous red-brick house in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. They were greeted at the door by a plump, middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform, who immediately took their bags away and whisked them upstairs.
When she came bustling back, she asked: "Now Ellie, might you tell me- Oh my!"
Jay had just slid his coat off at that moment, revealing his wings. Upon hearing the woman's reaction, he slid it right back on, suddenly ashamed.
Ellie smiled then, and put a hand on his forearm. "Edith, this is Jay Guthrie, my boyfriend. Jay, this is Edith, our housekeeper."
"Your boyfriend? Heavens, dear girl, does your father know?"
Ellie's smile became shy. "Well, sort of... They've just never met until now."
Edith nodded, and then turned her gaze to Jay, scrutinizing him from head to foot, before she smiled. "I can't say I don't like the look of him. He's quite the fine-looking young gentleman, I must say. And those wings! He's like one of those lovely angels in the windows of Trinity Church!"
"And he sings just like one too," Ellie added, pressing against Jay's side, to which Jay responded by pulling her close.
Edith laughed, and approached, one hand held out to him. "Hand me over that coat, dear boy. Nothing to be ashamed of, if you're Ellie's beau."
That made him blush. He glanced at Ellie, and noted the rather relieved smile on her face. Had she been hoping for Edith's approval?
As Edith led them to the kitchen for some refreshments, Ellie caught the way he was looking at her. She smiled, and explained: "Edith used to be Dad's nanny. She knows him inside-out, so if she likes you, then that means Dad's likely to feel the same way."
"I sure hope so," Jay murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of Ellie's head.
Edith settled them down in the kitchen with a pitcher of cool lemonade, and while she prepared sandwiches for the both of them she chattered about a variety of things - mostly humorous little anecdotes about Arthur Ridley's childhood, and news about what had been going on in Ellie's absence.
Just then, they heard the front door open, and a clear, crisp voice called out: "Edith! Edith, where are you?"
Edith stopped in the middle of refilling Jay's glass, and opened her mouth to answer, but the door opened then, revealing a tall, beautiful blonde woman dressed in an impeccable ivory ensemble.
"There you are," the woman said, to Edith, her voice showing her disapproval. "I was calling for you and you didn't answer me. What-" She stopped short then when her gaze fell on Ellie. "Ellie."
"Mother," Ellie replied with a small nod.
Jay raised an eyebrow. This woman was Ellie's mother? He looked at her again, and then back at Ellie. He knew he ought to have seen the resemblance somewhere, but he just couldn't. Maybe Ellie simply took more after her father?
"I did not know you were coming home," the woman said, her voice slightly formal. Her gaze slid over to Jay then, and her eyes widened slightly - a look that made Jay wish that he'd hidden his wings after all, resulting in a slight droop of said appendages.
The woman focused on Ellie again. "And who is...that?"
Ellie uttered a small sigh. "Mother, this is Jay Guthrie. Jay, this is my mother, Cecilie." As she spoke, she reached out to catch Jay's hand in hers, and when she squeezed his fingers, he squeezed hers back in reassurance.
Jay managed a smile. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Cecilie nodded, and also managed a smile. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Jay." She looked at Ellie again. "Your boyfriend?"
Ellie nodded, but did not say a word.
"I see. Well then, I will not interrupt you any further, and if you need me, I will be in the library." After that, she turned briefly to Edith to ask for some snacks and drinks to be sent upstairs, before she walked out, leaving the kitchen door flapping behind her.
After a few seconds of tense silence, Ellie seemed to relax, and she let go of Jay's hand to stare at her half-eaten sandwich. He leaned closer to her, genuinely concerned. In his family, his mother was all he and his siblings had, and the way Ellie and Cecilie spoke to each other troubled him. "Sweetheart? Is something wrong?
Ellie looked up, blinking in confusion, before she shook her head. "Oh no, no, nothing's wrong, except..." She sighed. "Mother's not really...used to seeing me around."
"Why do you talk about her that way? As if she wasn't really your mother at all."
"Because, technically speaking, she isn't. My biological mother - the woman I think of as Mom - died when I was very young. Dad remarried Cecilie when I was young too, so I haven't really known any other 'mother' except her. It wasn't until recently that Dad told me about Mom."
Edith clucked her tongue. "Hush now Ellie. You're being too harsh on the poor woman. She does love your father, you know - always loved him since they were young. But your mother...ah, now your father loved your mother. It was a pity that she died." She shrugged as she refilled Ellie's glass. "I suppose that, to Cecilie, you were the sole reminder of the fact that Artie loved someone else before her, and seeing that reminder everyday only made it sting the more. Also, she always feared that gift of yours - maybe because she thinks that you'll use it to tell your father to stop loving her, and that was something her heart simply could not take."
Ellie opened her mouth to speak, but they heard the door open again, and this time, the footsteps that echoed against the wooden floors were decidedly masculine.
Jay felt his heartbeat almost triple. This was it, he thought.
"Edith, did Ellie- Oh!" Arthur Ridley stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes taking in the scene before him.
Ellie smiled, and slid off the stool she had been sitting on to walk over, and give her father a hug. "Hi, Dad. Welcome home."
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Arthur asked teasingly, though he gave his daughter a fond kiss on the cheek. "Still, thank you." His gaze went to Jay then, and there was no denying the slight raise of his eyebrow. "Ellie, is this the boy you've told me about?"
"Uh huh." Ellie went over to Jay, and held his hand, a fond light in her eyes. "Dad, this is Jay Guthrie. Jay, this is my dad."
"Good afternoon Mr. Ridley, sir. It's an honor to meet you," Jay added, trying his best to smile and not let the butterflies in his stomach take over.
Arthur gave him a scrutinizing look. "So you're Ellie's schoolmate?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where are you from?"
"Artie!" Edith exclaimed, her voice pitched to scold. "You can drag the poor boy over the proverbial coals later. The least you can do right now is be nice and welcome him!"
Ellie laughed even as Arthur gave Edith a look that resembled that of a boy who had been caught doing something wrong. "Edith-"
"Don't you 'Edith' me! That boy is the one who's made your daughter blossom so and put such a lovely smile on her face, and the least you could do is welcome him into the family!"
Arthur sighed, defeated, and when he looked back at Jay, there was a warm smile on his face. "Pardon me if I've been rather cold, my boy. I'm still not used to the idea of my little Bethie placing her heart in another man's hands." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Though now I suppose I don't have much of a choice."
Jay gave Ellie a loving look. "I'm taking care of her as best as I can, sir. And I promise not to hurt her, ever."
"Well, that's always good to hear." And then, to Jay's infinite surprise, Arthur went over, and clasped his shoulder fondly. "Welcome to the family, my boy."