An unexpected family barbecue wasn't always a surprise on Maple Grove, but it didn't usually expand into these proportions. What had started as an idea for a little bonding time between cousins who were still a little awkward around each other had grown into a real little family gathering. With the barbecue itself still working its way up to cooking temperature, watched over by the men who had thus far arrived, Humphrey was in his element sat on his own patio, watching a small collection of children playing on the grass. Between Gabi's twins, and Jon and Vicki's pair, it was a wonder Cosmo wasn't fiercely defending his own tail. But the collie was delighted to have four children to play with, three of whom were walking ....sort of.
Jon was understandably nervous, but excited, too. When he'd woken up that morning, he had not been expecting his day would end up quite like this. He hoped Cian and especially Leilani wouldn't be overwhelmed by all the people, but they were as much a part of the family as anyone. Gabi's George seemed nice enough - a man from another century who had seemingly impeccable manners - a trait that had easily won over Humphrey's approval. At the moment, he was chatting amicably with Jon, while Vicki and Gabi swapped toddler tales.
Swapping toddler tales was one way of putting it. Another way was necking gin and tonic before husband and lover caught them. As Gordon confiscated Gabi's glass, he got pulled into an earnest debate with Vicki and Humphrey over whether or not a busy mother should be allowed to drink while operating toddler machinery, which in turn allowed Gabi to slip away to the barbecue. "Is the fire sufficiently fascinating, gentlemen?"
"Sufficiently is an understatement, Gabi," Jon remarked with a grin, coughing as he waved a waft of smoke away from his face. He was not much exactly a master at barbecuing, but that didn't stop him from trying.
George was no help either, as barbecuing was something that was still fairly new to him. "Is there a limit on drinks?" he asked, lowering his voice so he wasn't overheard by anyone but Gabi and Jon. He'd obviously noticed Gordon nabbing Gabi's drink.
Tucking herself under George's arm, Gabi smiled, shaking her head. "No, Dad's just got views about me drinking when I'm in charge of the boys, which is most of the time," she admitted softly. "That, and I don't drink much anyway." She eyed the barbecue thoughtfully. "Is it supposed to be quite that smoky?"
"No!" Jon exclaimed sounding like he was nearing a panic attack, waving a hand at the smoke and fiddling with the nob that controlled the flame. Why had Vicki put him in charge of this anyway'
Gordon to the rescue. They didn't call him Flash for nothing. "Problem, Jon?" he asked, inserting himself between the small group to save the meat before it was nothing but a charred lump of coal - or the fire brigade arrived, whichever came first. "You want to cook it slowly on a low flame. And there's nothing wrong with a drink or two, so long as you know your limits," he remarked, obviously having overheard what had been said.
"I'll be the ....what do they call it' Designated Driver?" George volunteered, raising a hand. He wasn't much of a drinker anyway.
Gabi blushed, a little ashamed to have been caught talking about drinking by her father, but Humphrey was the one who interrupted. "You can walk back," the Old Man declared with a chuckle, toasting them with his own glass of martini. "Speaking of designated anyones ....aren't we expecting someone else?"
"A couple of someone elses, actually, Humph," Vicki reminded him with a warm smile, one hand reaching out to catch Jake as he tripped over his feet in his hurry to show Grampa Hump'y the spider he'd found.
"The Designated Walker, then," George corrected himself with the ghost of a smirk. The man had obviously become much more comfortable around the Grangers the last few months.
Jon looked relieved to have been rescued by Gordon, and clapped the older man on the shoulder. "I think you just found your calling," he told him with a grin.
"I knew I'd been invited for something!" Gordon replied with a chuckle. He really didn't mind - he wanted dinner to be edible, after all. "I hear Dom is seeing someone again?" he asked, to no one in particular.
"Two someones, if you count her daughter," Vicki offered, and promptly burst out laughing at the horrified gasp that erupted from Gabrielle on hearing this. "No, no, no, not like that," the redhead hurried to clarify, over Humphrey's loud guffaws, rolling her eyes as a small voice spoke up behind her.
"Um ....are we interrupting anything?" Only one person could put that amount of innocent confusion into a single sentence - the unassuming, unsuspecting guests of honor had arrived.
"No, of course not! We've been waiting for you to arrive!" Gordon said, a welcoming smile on his face for the young woman who had very quickly found her way to his heart and become like a second daughter. He nudged Jon with an elbow and whispered, "Go say hello."
Jon cleared his throat, that nervousness creeping back up on him again. "Right," he muttered before stepping forward to greet the unsuspecting guests of honor. He hesitated a moment before leaning close to touch a kiss to Leilani's cheek. She looked absolutely lovely, though he didn't say so. He'd leave that to Miranda. "Hello, Leilani. I'm so glad you could make it."
Though a few years among society had rubbed the edge off Leilani's shyness, it was still there in the way she held tight to Cian's hand, and the way she waited nervously to be greeted before her smile blossomed into view. Gordon and Gabi were given a full sight of that smile before Leilani found herself being kissed by Jon. Slightly bemused, she tilted her head as she looked up at Cian's cousin. "We haven't been invited to a ..." The unfamiliar word caught on her lips as she glanced at Cian curiously. "A queuing bee? One of these, for a long time. Your young are very active, Jonathan."
Near Jon, Vicki chuckled. "Our young are getting bigger by the day."
"Not as active as Gabi's boys," Jon replied with a chuckle.
"Barbecue," Cian whispered beside her, with a warm but slightly anxious smile, well aware of the awkwardness between himself and his cousin.
Jon made the first move, reaching to take Cian's hand and greet him properly. "Nice to see you, Cian. It's been too long." The last time they'd have a conversation that consisted of more than a few words was Frank's funeral.
"Yeah, it has," Cian replied, his smile warming as he took the other man's hand in a firm grip. "We haven't been around as much as we'd like," he explained. It was pretty common knowledge that he and Leilani were often off adventuring somewhere, though no one quite seemed to know where.
"Bar-be-cue." Leilani repeated the word a couple of times, jumping as a small sticky hand inserted itself into hers to pull her attention to Jake on Humphrey's lap. She giggled as she was pulled away to say hello to one of her nephews and the Old Man, unfortunately abandoning Cian to his cousin.
Jon was understandably nervous, but excited, too. When he'd woken up that morning, he had not been expecting his day would end up quite like this. He hoped Cian and especially Leilani wouldn't be overwhelmed by all the people, but they were as much a part of the family as anyone. Gabi's George seemed nice enough - a man from another century who had seemingly impeccable manners - a trait that had easily won over Humphrey's approval. At the moment, he was chatting amicably with Jon, while Vicki and Gabi swapped toddler tales.
Swapping toddler tales was one way of putting it. Another way was necking gin and tonic before husband and lover caught them. As Gordon confiscated Gabi's glass, he got pulled into an earnest debate with Vicki and Humphrey over whether or not a busy mother should be allowed to drink while operating toddler machinery, which in turn allowed Gabi to slip away to the barbecue. "Is the fire sufficiently fascinating, gentlemen?"
"Sufficiently is an understatement, Gabi," Jon remarked with a grin, coughing as he waved a waft of smoke away from his face. He was not much exactly a master at barbecuing, but that didn't stop him from trying.
George was no help either, as barbecuing was something that was still fairly new to him. "Is there a limit on drinks?" he asked, lowering his voice so he wasn't overheard by anyone but Gabi and Jon. He'd obviously noticed Gordon nabbing Gabi's drink.
Tucking herself under George's arm, Gabi smiled, shaking her head. "No, Dad's just got views about me drinking when I'm in charge of the boys, which is most of the time," she admitted softly. "That, and I don't drink much anyway." She eyed the barbecue thoughtfully. "Is it supposed to be quite that smoky?"
"No!" Jon exclaimed sounding like he was nearing a panic attack, waving a hand at the smoke and fiddling with the nob that controlled the flame. Why had Vicki put him in charge of this anyway'
Gordon to the rescue. They didn't call him Flash for nothing. "Problem, Jon?" he asked, inserting himself between the small group to save the meat before it was nothing but a charred lump of coal - or the fire brigade arrived, whichever came first. "You want to cook it slowly on a low flame. And there's nothing wrong with a drink or two, so long as you know your limits," he remarked, obviously having overheard what had been said.
"I'll be the ....what do they call it' Designated Driver?" George volunteered, raising a hand. He wasn't much of a drinker anyway.
Gabi blushed, a little ashamed to have been caught talking about drinking by her father, but Humphrey was the one who interrupted. "You can walk back," the Old Man declared with a chuckle, toasting them with his own glass of martini. "Speaking of designated anyones ....aren't we expecting someone else?"
"A couple of someone elses, actually, Humph," Vicki reminded him with a warm smile, one hand reaching out to catch Jake as he tripped over his feet in his hurry to show Grampa Hump'y the spider he'd found.
"The Designated Walker, then," George corrected himself with the ghost of a smirk. The man had obviously become much more comfortable around the Grangers the last few months.
Jon looked relieved to have been rescued by Gordon, and clapped the older man on the shoulder. "I think you just found your calling," he told him with a grin.
"I knew I'd been invited for something!" Gordon replied with a chuckle. He really didn't mind - he wanted dinner to be edible, after all. "I hear Dom is seeing someone again?" he asked, to no one in particular.
"Two someones, if you count her daughter," Vicki offered, and promptly burst out laughing at the horrified gasp that erupted from Gabrielle on hearing this. "No, no, no, not like that," the redhead hurried to clarify, over Humphrey's loud guffaws, rolling her eyes as a small voice spoke up behind her.
"Um ....are we interrupting anything?" Only one person could put that amount of innocent confusion into a single sentence - the unassuming, unsuspecting guests of honor had arrived.
"No, of course not! We've been waiting for you to arrive!" Gordon said, a welcoming smile on his face for the young woman who had very quickly found her way to his heart and become like a second daughter. He nudged Jon with an elbow and whispered, "Go say hello."
Jon cleared his throat, that nervousness creeping back up on him again. "Right," he muttered before stepping forward to greet the unsuspecting guests of honor. He hesitated a moment before leaning close to touch a kiss to Leilani's cheek. She looked absolutely lovely, though he didn't say so. He'd leave that to Miranda. "Hello, Leilani. I'm so glad you could make it."
Though a few years among society had rubbed the edge off Leilani's shyness, it was still there in the way she held tight to Cian's hand, and the way she waited nervously to be greeted before her smile blossomed into view. Gordon and Gabi were given a full sight of that smile before Leilani found herself being kissed by Jon. Slightly bemused, she tilted her head as she looked up at Cian's cousin. "We haven't been invited to a ..." The unfamiliar word caught on her lips as she glanced at Cian curiously. "A queuing bee? One of these, for a long time. Your young are very active, Jonathan."
Near Jon, Vicki chuckled. "Our young are getting bigger by the day."
"Not as active as Gabi's boys," Jon replied with a chuckle.
"Barbecue," Cian whispered beside her, with a warm but slightly anxious smile, well aware of the awkwardness between himself and his cousin.
Jon made the first move, reaching to take Cian's hand and greet him properly. "Nice to see you, Cian. It's been too long." The last time they'd have a conversation that consisted of more than a few words was Frank's funeral.
"Yeah, it has," Cian replied, his smile warming as he took the other man's hand in a firm grip. "We haven't been around as much as we'd like," he explained. It was pretty common knowledge that he and Leilani were often off adventuring somewhere, though no one quite seemed to know where.
"Bar-be-cue." Leilani repeated the word a couple of times, jumping as a small sticky hand inserted itself into hers to pull her attention to Jake on Humphrey's lap. She giggled as she was pulled away to say hello to one of her nephews and the Old Man, unfortunately abandoning Cian to his cousin.