Christmas Day
Maple Grove was stunning in the snow. From the exquisitely kept gardens to the wildernesses, brilliant white blanketed the estate from end to end, glittering in the reflection of Christmas lights hung from every house and manor scattered about the pristine landscape. From various houses came the sound of families playing in the snow, each of them oblivious to one small gathering taking place on a snow covered bridge over one of the Grove's many frozen streams.
Despite the cold, Dominic was grinning, hands stuffed deep into his pockets as he watched the two couples making their way over the snow toward him, his camera hanging around his neck, and a piece of very important paper tucked into his jeans. One phone call was all it had taken to get him out of the house, even on Christmas Day, more than happy to oblige a cousin and her fella in making this Christmas their most memorable.
Laughter reached him before any coherent words, urged on by the antics of Milo the puppy as he struggled through the snow drifts, eluding all attempts to grab him out of the deepest places. He was just having too much fun. Thus the bride, for all that she had apparently found a nice dress which was hidden underneath her familiar warm coat, was lunging after the tiny canine in stops and starts, hopelessly outmatched by a ten-week-old dog.
Lena was walking along behind, rolling her eyes at the playful antics of the pair in front, her own hands, like Dom's, stuffed securely into her pockets in an attempt to stave off the cold. "This is incredibly romantic and all," she was saying to Jack as they approached Dom on the little bridge, "but why outside" It's freezing brass monkeys out here!"
Tommy laughed and threw an arm around his fiancee, "Don't worry, Midge. When we get married, it'll be on a beach in the summer!" That meant waiting at least another six months, but as far as Tommy was concerned, marriage wouldn't really change anything between them, other than making their bond legal and official.
"Because we don't want anyone else to know about it!" Jack replied, lunging after the puppy, though Milo was having too much fun to let himself get caught.
"It's not like we don't have heaters or things," Lena was still grumbling, even as Tommy tugged her close. She chuckled, unable to stay grumpy even for a little while when everyone else was in such a wonderful mood.
Jaz gave up on trying to catch Milo as the dog jumped face first into a drift in front of Jack, straightening up to look over her shoulder at the other couple. "So you're good with keeping this quiet for a couple of weeks, right?"
"We're good if you're good," Tommy replied, chuckling a little at the dog's antics before looking back at the other couple curiously. "Why the big secret, anyway' It's not like anyone is gonna be against you two getting married."
Jack gave up on trying to catch the puppy with a heavy sigh. Fortunately, it wasn't too frigid out and they puppy was wearing a thick coat of fur, but he knew they were going to have to thaw him out at some point in the not too distant future. "Because Des and Piper and Beth and Jason are getting married next week, and we don't want to steal their thunder," he tried to explain, though it was unlikely either of the other engaged couples would care.
"I guess that makes sense," Lena shrugged musingly, her grin deepening as they came up to where Dom was waiting. "So Professor, you got roped into this too, huh?"
Dom chuckled, his breath ghosting into puffs in the freezing air as his cousins reached him. "Who else is going to be daft enough to come out here with all the paperwork on Christmas Day?" he pointed out, reaching over to ruffle Helena's hair before letting out a slightly startled grunt as the snow drift beside him erupted and Milo landed on his boot. "And who does this little scamp belong to?"
"He's ours," Jack confessed, at last catching the little ball of fluff and scooping him up in his arms to brush as much snow off him as possible.
"Their firstborn," Tommy chimed in with a teasing smirk, but Jack was so accustomed to Tommy's teasing that he mostly ignored it.
"Sorry to bother you, Dom," Jack told the older man, a little bashfully. Milo just greeted the man with a playful bark.
"It's no bother, Jack," the older man assured him, ruffling Milo's fur as the puppy barked at him. "I'm happy to do it. Jaz has been badgering me since she was five to be the minister at her wedding, anyway."
"Gods, Dom, did you have to share that?" Jasmin complained mildly, the flush on her cheeks hiding her blush as she leaned into Jack while Lena laughed at them.
"I'd totally forgotten that," the other woman declared through her chuckles. "All that's missing is the Old Man to give you away!"
Jaz rolled her eyes, snorting with laughter. "Not even I'm insane enough to ask Humph to come out into the snow on Christmas Day," she laughed. "Besides, he'll have his hands full with Emily by now."
"Good to know we've fulfilled that dream for you," Tommy remarked with that teasing, dimpled grin of his. "I hate to spoil the camaraderie, but can we get on with it' I'm freezing!" he complained, stomping his feet to keep the circulation going, though he was smiling good-naturedly.
Jack ruffled Milo's fur and handed him off to Lena to keep him safe and in one place while he and Jasmin shared their vows. He turned to Jasmin, as if to give her one last chance to back out before they went through with it. "You sure you're ready for this?" he asked, though as far as he was concerned, he was more than certain.
Maple Grove was stunning in the snow. From the exquisitely kept gardens to the wildernesses, brilliant white blanketed the estate from end to end, glittering in the reflection of Christmas lights hung from every house and manor scattered about the pristine landscape. From various houses came the sound of families playing in the snow, each of them oblivious to one small gathering taking place on a snow covered bridge over one of the Grove's many frozen streams.
Despite the cold, Dominic was grinning, hands stuffed deep into his pockets as he watched the two couples making their way over the snow toward him, his camera hanging around his neck, and a piece of very important paper tucked into his jeans. One phone call was all it had taken to get him out of the house, even on Christmas Day, more than happy to oblige a cousin and her fella in making this Christmas their most memorable.
Laughter reached him before any coherent words, urged on by the antics of Milo the puppy as he struggled through the snow drifts, eluding all attempts to grab him out of the deepest places. He was just having too much fun. Thus the bride, for all that she had apparently found a nice dress which was hidden underneath her familiar warm coat, was lunging after the tiny canine in stops and starts, hopelessly outmatched by a ten-week-old dog.
Lena was walking along behind, rolling her eyes at the playful antics of the pair in front, her own hands, like Dom's, stuffed securely into her pockets in an attempt to stave off the cold. "This is incredibly romantic and all," she was saying to Jack as they approached Dom on the little bridge, "but why outside" It's freezing brass monkeys out here!"
Tommy laughed and threw an arm around his fiancee, "Don't worry, Midge. When we get married, it'll be on a beach in the summer!" That meant waiting at least another six months, but as far as Tommy was concerned, marriage wouldn't really change anything between them, other than making their bond legal and official.
"Because we don't want anyone else to know about it!" Jack replied, lunging after the puppy, though Milo was having too much fun to let himself get caught.
"It's not like we don't have heaters or things," Lena was still grumbling, even as Tommy tugged her close. She chuckled, unable to stay grumpy even for a little while when everyone else was in such a wonderful mood.
Jaz gave up on trying to catch Milo as the dog jumped face first into a drift in front of Jack, straightening up to look over her shoulder at the other couple. "So you're good with keeping this quiet for a couple of weeks, right?"
"We're good if you're good," Tommy replied, chuckling a little at the dog's antics before looking back at the other couple curiously. "Why the big secret, anyway' It's not like anyone is gonna be against you two getting married."
Jack gave up on trying to catch the puppy with a heavy sigh. Fortunately, it wasn't too frigid out and they puppy was wearing a thick coat of fur, but he knew they were going to have to thaw him out at some point in the not too distant future. "Because Des and Piper and Beth and Jason are getting married next week, and we don't want to steal their thunder," he tried to explain, though it was unlikely either of the other engaged couples would care.
"I guess that makes sense," Lena shrugged musingly, her grin deepening as they came up to where Dom was waiting. "So Professor, you got roped into this too, huh?"
Dom chuckled, his breath ghosting into puffs in the freezing air as his cousins reached him. "Who else is going to be daft enough to come out here with all the paperwork on Christmas Day?" he pointed out, reaching over to ruffle Helena's hair before letting out a slightly startled grunt as the snow drift beside him erupted and Milo landed on his boot. "And who does this little scamp belong to?"
"He's ours," Jack confessed, at last catching the little ball of fluff and scooping him up in his arms to brush as much snow off him as possible.
"Their firstborn," Tommy chimed in with a teasing smirk, but Jack was so accustomed to Tommy's teasing that he mostly ignored it.
"Sorry to bother you, Dom," Jack told the older man, a little bashfully. Milo just greeted the man with a playful bark.
"It's no bother, Jack," the older man assured him, ruffling Milo's fur as the puppy barked at him. "I'm happy to do it. Jaz has been badgering me since she was five to be the minister at her wedding, anyway."
"Gods, Dom, did you have to share that?" Jasmin complained mildly, the flush on her cheeks hiding her blush as she leaned into Jack while Lena laughed at them.
"I'd totally forgotten that," the other woman declared through her chuckles. "All that's missing is the Old Man to give you away!"
Jaz rolled her eyes, snorting with laughter. "Not even I'm insane enough to ask Humph to come out into the snow on Christmas Day," she laughed. "Besides, he'll have his hands full with Emily by now."
"Good to know we've fulfilled that dream for you," Tommy remarked with that teasing, dimpled grin of his. "I hate to spoil the camaraderie, but can we get on with it' I'm freezing!" he complained, stomping his feet to keep the circulation going, though he was smiling good-naturedly.
Jack ruffled Milo's fur and handed him off to Lena to keep him safe and in one place while he and Jasmin shared their vows. He turned to Jasmin, as if to give her one last chance to back out before they went through with it. "You sure you're ready for this?" he asked, though as far as he was concerned, he was more than certain.