InsaneJournal

Who: Merlin and Audrey
When: Before Thanksgiving
Where: Their home
What: Thanksgiving plans
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Completed gdoc



Merlin wasn’t American but he was used to the Thanksgiving celebrations and he did kind of like it a lot. He was still working on convincing his mum to come over for Christmas and he was nearly there he thought. The kids came in as great blackmail tools sometimes. But she wasn’t going to be here for Thanksgiving. Which meant they needed to decide what they were going to do.

“Did you want a family thing or a group thing this year?” he asked her.

“Maybe just the family this year?” Audrey responded. She’d set some dishes to clean themselves in the kitchen sink by magic, and was working on icing some cookies. (Because the woman was pretty much always making cookies or cakes or something.) “What do you think?” It’d been nice to spend the holiday with friends last year, but maybe it was time to start their own, new, family traditions.

“I think that is a great idea” Merlin agreed, “Especially now the kids are getting older, we should start doing things they’re going to remember as they get older” he nodded. Their own new traditions would be a good thing, especially for Merlin too since Thanksgiving wasn’t something he’d experienced growing up.

“I was thinking maybe in the morning we can go out and use our phones to take pictures of autumn leaves. Playing in the leaves. With the pumpkins still on the patio, they’ll probably come out amazing. And then show the kids the pictures over hot cocoa and a light lunch, then have a proper Thanksgiving Dinner in the late afternoon.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe we could do some volunteer work in the morning, too. Or is that too much?”

“I think as much as it would be great to do that we’re going to be busy enough getting the kids out and taking photos with them in the morning” Merlin said, his voice of reason coming through as it often did. Audrey was amazing but she did have a habit of taking on too much sometimes. “Let’s see how it goes this year and we can decide if we want to do something different next year?” he suggested.

Audrey blushed a little, and agreed. She got ahead of herself sometimes. It would be a good thing to go volunteer with the kids, to teach them about community involvement and civic responsibility, but they were still so little. Diapers on Bea and everything. It was going to take them a long time just to get ready in the morning. “I know, I shouldn’t bite off more than I can chew.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “I just get so excited around the holidays. But yes. Maybe we’ll keep it in mind for next year.” It would be hard for her to take off days leading up to the holiday, considering how busy the bakery got around this time of year.

Merlin leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips, “I know you do love, don’t worry it’s one of the many things about you I love” he told her, “We’ll find a good balance with the kids as we go. It’ll be a lot easier once they’re both fully mobile and want to get involved more” Merlin said, he wasn’t worried about it.

Audrey lifted a hand to cup the side of his face as he leaned in to kiss her. She pulled him close, lingering. Her nose brushed against his as he spoke. “Good. I’m glad I’ve got you to help keep me grounded. I’d be off in the clouds without you to remind me to stay on Earth.” Then she kissed him again, a bit more lovingly this time.

Merlin smiled, “Good job I’ll always be here then isn’t it?” he said before returning the kiss, one hand sliding into her hair and the other wrapping around her waist. He liked these close domestic moments they had, he was married to his best friend and he would forever be grateful for it.

“It is.” If there weren’t cookies to decorate, children to watch, and other things to do, Audrey might have dragged her husband to the shower for some intimate time. But they were grown-ups, and that meant doing all that grown-up stuff. She kissed him, cuddling close, wrapping both arms around him to savor his warmth. “...I think you and I need a date night soon.”

“I think that is a very good idea” Merlin agreed, anytime they got to spend together without the kids was a nice bonus. They both loved being parents and spending time with the kids as a family but sometimes it was very nice to just be the two of them.

Audrey sometimes felt guilty that she needed time away from the kids to be with her husband. At the same time, it really was a necessity. Their alone time rekindled their love for one another, and helped to keep their marriage (and therefore their family) strong. She knew the kids wouldn’t even notice the difference in the long run. And there were plenty of people with whom they’d made strong enough friendships with enough trust that they could “hire” for an overnight babysitting gig.

“Maybe do a little staycation and get a motel room?” She offered, purring.

Merlin didn’t feel quite the same level of guilt as Audrey, mostly because he knew the kids were happy and healthy and enjoyed spending time with people other than their parents. It was a sign that they’d been raising them right, at least that’s how he thought. Kids that were too clingy tended to have more issues as they grew up, Ben and Bea were well adjusted and smart.

“Mmm now that is an even better idea” Merlin said, leaning his head against hers as his arms held her close, “I do love some one on one time with you”

“Me, too.” Audrey closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness and warmth of her husband’s embrace. “And we’ll get some time to ourselves right after Thanksgiving.” There were two big events at this time of year that made for lots of work at the bakery. Audrey was ready for the holiday rushes, but she was bound to be exhausted.

Merlin nodded, “Don’t forget we’ve booked the kids into Stark daycare more over the Christmas rush, we learnt from last year” he smiled, knowing Audrey always took on too much they’d taken steps to ensure she wouldn’t get too knackered over the festive period.

“Oh, that’s right. Good. I’m glad you remembered, because I would have forgotten!” Stark daycare was a godsend. Audrey knew that the people who worked at Stark were the best of the best, and she wouldn’t trust pretty much anyone else with her children. At least, not for day-to-day stuff. “It’s a shame they don’t offer night services!” she laughed. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Then they could go to a movie without hiring a nightly babysitter.

“I have it on my computer calendar, the girls who run it love having the kids there. It seems they’re popular” Merlin smiled proudly, glad that their kids were so well liked by others. It made him think he and Audrey were doing a good job. “Oh that would be nice. Maybe I should suggest it to Stark” he grinned.

“I’m not surprised. They’re pretty amazing kids, if I do say so myself.” Audrey gave him a smile. “Sure. Tell him it was my suggestion.” She gave him a wink, then moved to start cleaning up after the cookies. They were drying beautifully, and would make absolutely delicious Christmas presents.

“We’ve definitely managed to do something right with them” Merlin agreed with a grin, “I’ll be sure to let him know” he chuckled before moving to help her clean up.