first_in_time | Zagreus Sits Inside Your Head (for Splendid

Barbara looked out at the view as Ian put the last of their things in the car. From the front door of the little Bed and Breakfast, she could see beautiful rolling hills for miles. The last of the morning was being chased away as the sun rose higher in the sky, thawing everything out. Even the cows seemed more active on one particular hill.

"I wish we could stay for a little longer," she sighed to Ian, turning her back on it all so that it might be easier to leave. Her arms folded, one hand still held on to the key they were yet to return. "I don't suppose your car has a secret time traveling device so we can spend an extra few weeks here?"

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From:

splendid_roman

Ian blushed himself, not wanting to think about his parents doing that sort of thing. "I'm sure if you went away Alice and Katy could look after the chickens." With all the time Audrey and Robert spent looking after Katy he was sure they could convince Alice she owed them a favour.

"We could..." Robert looked at Audrey, sounding like he wanted something.

She sighed, but smiled. "We'll talk about that when we get home." She turned back to Ian and Barbara. "I want to hear more about your wedding, since we didn't get to go. Who were the witnesses, did you bring anyone with you or did you just pull them off the street?"

Ian shook his head. "There was another couple getting married just before us in the same position so we were witnesses for each other." And then they'd exchanged addresses and promises to keep in touch. Whether they would was something else.

From:

first_in_time

"They were a lovely older couple from Brighton. I hope we keep in touch." Barbara clasped both of her hand around Ian's and smiled up him.

"And this is what you both wore?" Audrey asked, nodding at the picture they'd been given.

Barbara nodded. "I had another dress but found that one entirely by chance and thought that it was a little nicer. The other was a pale pink and had a different shaped neck. I still took it with us but...well, I like to think that I made a good decision."

From:

splendid_roman

"You look beautiful." Audrey smiled at the picture. "Just as a bride should. Doesn't she?"

She passed the picture to Robert who echoed, "Beautiful," and passed it back, although he sounded like he mean it.

At least his parents didn't complain about Barbara's dress like Joan had. But even if they thought the same thing they were too polite to say it. "You can put it with your other photos in the lounge," Ian suggested.

"We will, don't worry," Audrey promised. She already knew exactly where it would go. Just as soon as she could convince Robert to put a nail in the wall.

"You could replace some of the older ones of me with this one," Ian said hopefully.

"But you were sweet when you were younger." Audrey grinned at him.

From:

first_in_time

"You know that baby photos don't get replaced. Ever." Robert chuckled and grinned almost evilly. "Tom's are still up and he got married years ago."

"That picture of you in the garden is rather sweet," said Barbara. Under the table she squeezed his hand.

From:

splendid_roman

"What picture is that?" Audrey frowned, not remembering one of Ian in the garden that was up in the lounge.

Ian sighed and gave Barbara a look. "I expect that would be the one of me naked that Alice seems to be fond of."

From:

first_in_time

"That's the one. The smile on your face is enormous," Barbara grinned up at him.

"That will always be on the wall, and Barbara, you have to roomies us that you'll always have that picture up when were gone," Robert said and laughed.

"I think it will look nice right near the door where we've got photographs of Tom and Helen's boys." Audrey told every one, then turned to see their meals arrive.

From:

splendid_roman

There was quiet for a moment while they all added condiments and tucked in.

"There'll be plenty of space left on the wall for your children," Audrey said after a while. "You are intending to have some?"

Ian wondered if she'd be shocked or upset if they said no. But he wasn't going to test that and he answered truthfully. "Not just yet. We want to get settled and buy a house first."

From:

first_in_time

And they had to get used to living with one another. Dating and staying the night at one another's houses was all very well abdgood, but it was another to share bills as always come back to each other.

Barbara, for one, found that idea exciting. Children could come later.

"We can't have children while living in Ian's flat, there's no room."

From:

splendid_roman

"No," Audrey agreed. "A small baby might be all right, but eventually it would need its own room."

Ian was looking forward to having children with Barbara, but he wanted to be able to spend some time together, just the two of them, for a while first.

"I'm happy to wait for another grandchild," Robert said. "The three we have now are exhausting."

From:

first_in_time

"But they were so adorable when they were babies," Audrey said with a wistful sigh. "Jamie used to simply cling, and Katy thought everything was a pony. David would just sit and watch everyone with his wide, beautiful eyes. He hasn't lost that, you know?"

From:

splendid_roman

"But then they grew up, have boundless energy and need to be entertained nearly all the time. Which is why we make sure never to have more grandchildren than adults in the house," he added to Barbara.

"You managed with three children," Audrey pointed out.

"We were younger then. If you like I can invite all our grandchildren to stay at once and then leave you with them," Robert teased her, grinning.

From:

first_in_time

"And just what would you be doing? Laying about in the sun ordering everyone around?"

"And that isn't my job?"

"It certainly isn't. And you'll be hard pressed to find much sunshine, I might add."

"Audrey, you're all the sunshine I need." Robert quickly pulled his wife in for a tight hug and a tender kiss to her cheek.

From:

splendid_roman

"Ugh." Ian made a face. "Save that sort of thing for when you're at home."

Neither of his parents took much notice. All Audrey said was, "And you and Barbara weren't holding hands under the table until the food arrived?"

Ian blushed at the knowledge that his mother had noticed that.

From:

first_in_time

"I hope that we're still holding hands under the table when we're celebrating our own child's wedding," Barbara told Audrey as she nudged Ian's shoulder with her own.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian felt the same, but was less keen on saying out loud. So he stuffed a forkful of food in his mouth and nudged Barbara's leg with his knee.

"I hope you are able to celebrate your child's wedding in the traditional way and not at lunch a week later," Audrey said pointedly.

"We've have traditional weddings for two of our children," Robert said to her. "Missing one won't matter."

From:

first_in_time

Barbara looked gratefully at Robert.

"Yes, but you only have one wedding...usually. It isn't an everyday thing, is what I mean. It's meant to be special!" Audrey said, trying to skip around Alice's divorce, even if it was for a good reason.

"It was special, and it was everything we wanted in a wedding. If we could have had our family and friends there, too, without feeling pressured to change everything, we would have." Barbara could see that Audrey was about to dispute that quite aggressively but Robert stepped in.

"It's done, they're happy, lets look forward to the future," he said and patted his wife's hand.

From:

splendid_roman

"Alice's wedding was special at the time," Ian pointed out, waving his knife around. "Her marriage wasn't. What our wedding was like won't have any bearing on what our marriage will be like."

Audrey gave in reluctantly. "As long as you're sure it was what you wanted."

"It was." Ian was sure of that, no matter what their parents thought.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara sat through a short silence before asking: "how are you gardens? Are you growing many vegetables we might be able to take off your hands in the next few days?"

"You're always welcome to our vegetables, Barbara dear," Audrey assured her with a pat to her hand. "And now you're part of the family, we'd be hard pressed to keep you out."

From:

splendid_roman

Ian smiled, glad his parents were making Barbara feel welcome into the family. Not that he expected less of them, but it made such a nice change to Joan's attitude earlier.

"Audrey has a deal with a girl down the road," Robert said. "She has a couple of rabbits and Audrey buys their droppings to use as compost."

"And very good compost it is too," Audrey put in. "There's nothing quite like rabbit droppings for making plants grow."

From:

first_in_time

"Is that your secret ingredient?" Barbara asked.

"Her secret ingredient," Robert cut in, "is singing to the plants when she thinks no one is watching. Or listening."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "I sometimes sing when I work but if he catches me, he wants to stop everything and dance."

From:

splendid_roman

"And what's wrong with that?" Robert asked with a too-innocent expression.

"There's a time for gardening and a time for dancing. Now finish your lunch, dear." Audrey patted Robert's hand, who grinned at her, but concentrated on his food.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the summer holidays?" Audrey asked Ian and Barbara.

Ian shook his head. "Not yet. But we do need to sort a few things out, like moving Barbara's things into my flat."

From:

first_in_time

"And how we're going to fit everything in," added Barbara, fork lifted halfway to her mouth. "We both lived in tiny flats, but two lots of tiny flats don't really fit into one."

Robert coughed. "Perhaps there's some kind of magic trick you could perform to make things fit in? Like a magician fitting a rabbit into his top hat."

From:

splendid_roman

"I'm sure there's some stuff you can get rid of to make more space," Audrey said.

There probably was, although Audrey's idea of junk that he didn't need was not quite the same as Ian's.

"It's all right," Ian said to Barbara, grinning, "my cupboards are bigger on the inside." Then he couldn't help laughing at that, much to his parents' confusion as to why it was so funny.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara giggled into Ian's shoulder until she felt the questioning eyes of Audrey and Robert on them both. She then sat up straight and wiped a tear from her eye.

Audrey and Robert exchanged looks.

"I don't understand what the joke," Robert told them both.

From:

splendid_roman

"A private joke," Ian assured them once he'd stopped laughing too. "It wouldn't be funny if we explained. You had to be there." Really had to be there.

"You're definitely married if you have private jokes already," Robert said.