~ Christmas at the Vaight Cottage 2031~

It was Christmas time again.

Darien glanced at the clock.

"Uh-oh...Man your stations everybody! Only five minutes until the arrival!!" He exclaimed, grinning and sauntering over to Diana.

"Five minutes 'til Vaight Invasion...Fancy running for the hills? I think there's a fancy dress shop we could pilfer disguises from..."

Darius was laughing at his father's energy and started running about.

Diana had been watching him with a slight smile when something Darien had said registered. "Don't you mean the Casillas are due in five minutes?"

Darien blinked in mild bemusement. "...Aren't they coming at nine?"

A feeling of foreboding overwhelmed him. Something was telling him he had buggered up...rather badly.

The same strain of forbidden was evident in Diana's voice as she said, "But I told them to come at 7 because I thought you told..."

Diana glanced at the clock. No, too late to change anything. She looked at Darien at the loss on what to do.

Darien's face was frozen in a state of perpetual dismay.

"BUGGERING-" He cut himself off, remembering there was a child in the vicinity. "Um...drat?"

Darius' little face was scrunched up in thought. He knew his dad was going to say something else. "What were you gona say Daddy?"

However, Darien was saved of having to answer by the hard knock on the door. Well saved... in a matter of speaking.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Diana said.

Darien winced and transferred his gaze to the door, as though he feared it was about to vanish into nothing, and also wishing it would swallow him up simultaneously.

"Me too..." His voice had dropped substantially to scarcely more than a whisper.

"I'll get it!" Darius yelled excitedly. He loved to have guest over. They're always such fun.

"Brace yourself." Diana said inching closer to Darien for support.

Darien screwed up his face and shut his eyes tightly in a childish attempt to pretend this wasn't happening.

Shame it didn't work...

(sorry I've no acess to the Internet! I am acessing this on so
someones phone. Pardon for the gramma/spelling messas!)

Darius tipy-toed so he could reach the door knob without any problem. He could actually reach the door knob without tipy-toeing now but it was hard to break the habit. He twisted the knob and within seconds a hurricane distrubed the what was once was peaceful silence.

The hurricane was in the form of the voices of several individuals who were right by the door.

((lol, fair enough. Hope you recover internet access soon! :L ))

Reginald's voice was just loud enough to echo across through the building, filtering through to the kitchen, where Darien visibly winced.

"I understood that it was our family celebrating Christmas here!" He hissed, with a venom to rival most poisonous snakes. "What are you and your Casillas tribe doing here?"

"We are spending Christmas here with our only great Grandson." Ferderico glowered in reply.

"There's obliviously been a mistake." Mateo said calmly trying to promote peace.

"Obliviously," Ferderico said mocking his son's calm tone. "Considering VaightS are involved its hardly surprising."

He was going to say more when, Darius interceded. "Hi everybody!"

Reginald hastily adjusted his expression from one of swallowing a concoction of grotesque culinary accidents to a smile, which was undermined by the frozen hatred in his eyes.

Isabella's hand found her husband's arm, and steered him to face the door. "Darius." She smiled in greeting at her grandson, and Reginald reluctantly blurred the anger in his eyes.

Despite being pleased to see his grandson, Reginald's deeply rooted loathing of his clan's ancient rival was still blazing. As much as Darien might have hoped that he and Diana would stop the arguing, Reginald was neither willing nor inclined to let his hatred, born of years and generations before him, die. After all, old habits are hard to break. Particularly when not actually trying to break them.

(lol! Bravo! Nice posty. Who else is there? Just Isa and Reg? )

"Grampa!" Darius greeted. He was very excited. Puppy or no, he loved Christmas. "Gramma!" he went over and gave them both a hug.

Though Darius was unaware of the age old rivialry that was somehow put to an abrupt yet fragile 'peace' that had been set around the time he was born. It was oblivious to him that his grandfather Reginald and his great grandfather Ferderico were not exactly the best of friends. He didn't know why though, he thought they should be. They were similar in a lot of ways.

((Sorry, it didn't seem to post...sodding internet))

Darien, from his hiding place in the kitchen, was listening carefully. Thank god for childish innocence. It seemed to be the only thing to get the two patriarchs to shut up.

He poked his head around the corner, then sharply pulled it back inside. "I don't think anyone's been murdered..."

Reginald caught sight of a dark blur slipping back into the kitchen, and asked in a casual tone, "Where are your parents Darius? Surely you aren't here alone?"

Within the safety of the kitchen, Darien winced. "Quick, look like we're doing something of pivotal importance!" He scanned the kitchen in mild desperation, glancing at Diana for help every three seconds.

"They're in the kitchen." Darius replied after greeting the Casillas in a similar fashion. There was only Mateo and Ferderico. Their respective wives were to arrive in later.

((Bcoz I don't wanna rp six people at once))

"Quick, take the cookie batter and start mixing." Diana whispered scanning the kitchen. "I'll finish decorating these." She nodded to a tray of freshly baked cookies.

Darius stepped out of the doorway to let the visitors in.

"Mummy, Daaaad, they're here! They're here!" Darius said running into the kitchen.

((lol, completely understandable.))

Reginald paused on the doorstep, watching the Casillas duo in an odd mild stare-off. Who would enter first? That was the question. Puerile, but he did it anyway, deftly stepping forwards, partly into the doorway. Isabella remained further back, having no wish to get involved in any childish alpha-male related competitions.

It was so frightfully messy and inconvenient. And there wasn't anything particularly wrong with the area outside. In fact, it was quite nice and calm, stars dotting the heavens and a cool breeze to prevent the air getting stale. Absolutely no reason to get involved. Of course, had it been pouring with rain, she would already be inside and dry.

Darien lunged for the mixing bowl, scanning his surroundings for a spoon. Where was it?! Just when he needed the bloody thing...Grabbing the nearest whisk instead - better than nothing, he reasoned - he proceeded to coat it so thoroughly in batter than no one would know it's true identity.

"Great." He attempted to inject some joy into the statement, grinning at Darius. "Well, your mother and I have just got to finish the cookies, and then we'll be right along. Why don't you show them...uh..." Something. Anything! Um...Er...There must be something!

"Your...um...your new...uh...broom!" He hastily turned his eyes back to the mixture. "Yes, that's the word I was looking for. Broom. Why don't you show them that miniature broom you bought last week? They'll love it."

Mateo watched his father expression carefully as Vaight Senior entered the home first followed by his wife. He saw not daggers but full range missles in his eyes (the missles he'd seen on the Muggle box thing - he was after all a wizard). He was just about ready to throw himself into the battlefield to prevent a nuclear explosion (another thing he learnt from the box) when Ferderico seemed to have dismantled the missles - for the time being anyway - and opted for a more calm expression as they followed Darius in.

Ferderico of course was not calm whatsoever. Merely, he was comforted with the fact that Vaight Senior was going to get exactly what he deserved later on. Besides it was unbecing to lose face so early in the night.

Darius beamed at his father. That was an excellent idea. He ran up to his room and snatched his brand new miniture broom from his bed. He'd taken to sleep with it as excited as he was and he was sure his grandfathers would find the broom as brilliant as he did. He went downstairs carefully (he was after all carrying an enlongated object, somewhat sharp and a potential accident could in fact occur; he could hurt himself or worse break his broom).

Meanwhile, Diana glanced worriedly in the direction of the living room where the Casillas and the Vaights were. "I think we should pay our respects now. The longer we delay the more chance they have to tear each other apart." She finished icing the cookies and put them in a serving tray. Better to go in there armed with food. She then squared her shoulders and headed to no-man's land.

(what should D call her in-laws?)

((um...probably not parent names :L Reginald wouldn't take that so well. Btw, nice missiles, ))

With Darius now out of the room, Isabella was loath to start up a conversation. Mostly because the outcome would inevitably be attempted strangling, possibly on both sides. Within five and a half minutes. On a good day.

Was this a good day? Nope. She had to question the wisdom of allowing both sides of the family to visit on the same day. What had they been thinking?

Awkward silence stretched on, and Reginald watched the opposing pair carefully, daring them to break it. After all, he wasn't adverse to a fight. Not exactly anyway.

Darien smiled as his son ran up to get his broom, and turned back to the mixture. He sighed. "Well, if they tear each other apart we don't have to host any more damn dinners." But he put down the mixture. They might get blood on the carpet, after all.

((yeh she figured as much))

"Well here goes nothing." Diana muttered. She put on a smile just to keep things cool and greeted the guest.

"Dad," she kissed Mateo on either cheeks and, "Abuelo," did the same for Ferderico. To the Vaights she greeted them less informally and gestured to the cookies at hand. "They're freshly baked." It was a little high pitched.

Darius on the other hand decided to return to his room get his new Quidditch robes to show downstairs as well. Now if only he remembered where he put it.

Darien's attempt at a smile looked more like a wince as several large tyres ran over his face, so he abandoned it fairly swiftly, instead opting for the less hideous grin.

Mildly less hideous anyway.

He greeted everyone rather awkwardly, and lingered near the doorway, waiting for his son to return and hide the tension with his childish enthusiasm.

For the sake of something to do, and also due to mild hunger, Isabella selected a biscuit and began to eat. "Very nice cookies, Diana." She commented, giving Reginald a look that clearly said he should try them too.

Her husband complied, with a smile that did not reach his eyes. He was not entirely at ease with this marriage of the families yet, and he did not intend to make it appear that he was. Not that he particularly hated Diana, he just hated the entire idea, a rejection of "moral" principles he had been brought up with.

"Yes, they are excellent cookies, aren't they?" Darien didn't wait for a response as he took one himself, attempting to eat with less feverish chewing than usual.

Darius stopped moving around to think. Where had he placed those robes? Well really they weren't robes, but a cape with the colours and insignia of the team he supported. He'd wear it all the time but his mother had convinced him to let her wash it. And since there were rather interesting spots on the cloth he agreed. So where was it? Hm...

Mateo got in the cookie action as well. He offered some to his father who declined. Not a good sign.

"When you told us to come here, Diana, I was under the impression that we would be alone." He said stiffly. He could have said this in spanish of course. Diana's spanish wasn't horrible and she could understand well. However, Ferderico meant to make things uncomfortable.

Darien glanced almost nervously up at the stairs. Why did Darius keep disappearing?! Chewing his biscuit eagerly, with a grin permanently plastered on his face, he felt more awkward than awkward turtle when in the middle of a vicious slap fight.

Reginald's anger let itself out as the cookie held between his index finger and thumb snapped. Loudly. And the look on his face plainly said he wished it was his rival's neck.

"As it happens, so were we." His voice was silky, disguising the anger beneath...but not very well. If Ferderico wanted things to be uncomfortable, Reginald was only too happy to oblige.

Mateo was ready to hold his father back, but it was Diana who spoke.

"We had..." Diana glanced at Darien. "A little misunderstanding." She could imagined herself giving an audiable gulp. Instead, she eyed her grandfather. Time to disengage the missiles. She was a Gryffindor after all. "I hope it wouldn't be too much of a problem. After all we all make mistakes. Besides, you only see Darius a number of times a year. It would be a shame to make that number even less." Who married a Slytherin so blackmail wasn't out of the question.

Meanwhile, Darius had found his cape! He grabbed his miniature broom and headed downstairs.