Once Upon a Time....

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

Taking the tissue and immediately blowing her nose, Mirella slid from K Jude's lap easily, folding her legs in under her on the couch as she tossed the tissue for the trash. "Maybe we should stop by one of those jewelry stores, get a pair of tiaras for ourselves," she goaded, quietly, one hand squeezing her temples slightly between finger and thumb, as if that could quell the crying headache that she'd developed. "I'm sure the guys will love that selfie. And will never let it go," the Frozen joke came easily in emphasis. Hinting that maybe she would insist that his tiara be Elsa.

Reaching for her wineglass, Mirella gulped down a mouthful before reaching for the chocolate again, taking a chunk and nibbling away at part of it. "We should get to sleep," she commented. "But maybe one more glass before bed? Cool the nerves a bit? Try to get rid of this ******* headache...?" The last was murmured more to herself, though she didn't fill herself into thinking he wouldn't hear, or know. He always knew. He was Jude, a close friend in the family, and a pastor to boot. The one she could tell anything to and not be judged or have her secrets made public.

[Judah Marck]

He let her go, glad she was seeming to make a quick recovery from the tears, though the aftermath he understood well. The slow throb that built in your head, the dry ache at the back of your throat and the raw empty, hungry feeling that sometimes came after a particularly intense crying session. Judah had had his fair share of grief, of disappointments and difficulty, the man knew how to cry. "The guys? Oh, they'd love that. I maintain that I make a beautiful princess, or... Queen." He narrowed his eyes on the woman, of course he'd seen Frozen, he had a 6 year old child... And he loved Disney, but that was utterly beside the point. "Brat." He poked his tongue out.

More wine? Jude rarely needed convincing on that point, the man reaching to pluck the glass from her fingertips, placing it on the little side table. "Bed and wine. Wine in bed? Wine in bed. C'mere you, i'll take you to bed alright." He smirked deviously, though on Jude it came as all too playful. Jumping to his feet he quickly swooped down, capturing his Firebug in a way that made it easy to lift her in an over the shoulder hold. His free hand captured the wine bottle, the one securely wrapped around her gave the backside a light tap. "Screw the glasses, we are drinking from the bottle and passing out whispering like teenagers." He beamed, carrying her off down the hall and into the master bedroom, tonight they would share it.

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

As he lifted her, she started kicking her feet into the air, whispering, "I can't believe you're doing this! Oh my god, I almost woke up the kids. If I'm a brat, so are you!" And she thumped one fist against his lower back, gently, but enough to say that she was displeased, as if the kicking of her feet weren't enough to do so. But she didn't try to block him from moving, so it clearly wasn't as big a deal as she made it out to be. But she played like it was, even as he flopped her onto the bed.

~~ The Next Morning ~~

Mirella's eyes fluttered, one hand drifting up to her head, the other reaching out on the bed for Jude. Her headache was worsened, probably from the volume of wine and level of crying she'd taken to the night before. But she definitely remembered spending most of the night sharing a bed with Jude.

"Ugh, morning people," she groaned, slowly sitting up and clambering out of bed. She was certain he was already up and dressed, so she grabbed for her clothes. A white button down, a blue bow tie, a rich blue jacket, opaque black tights, and a knee-length blue skirt, made up her Mary Poppins outfit. She then carried them through the living room to the bathroom, showering herself before donning those clothes. The hairdryer ran for twenty whole minutes before she finally emerged, fully dressed with her hair up in a tight ponytail with a red ribbon. It was only then that she slipped on her black flats.

Dressed and ready for another day.

[Judah Marck]

(( Rooftop Scene, outfit that inspired Judah's ))

A soft whine had left the woman as he'd carefully disentangled himself from her in the early morning, he'd heard stirring from where the boys slept and he too was awake. Lips fell gently against her brow, tucking the blankets back around her to let the woman get more rest. She'd earned it, and frankly he wasn't sure she'd be in the best condition after last night. Last night, he paused to consider, making a mental note of the events to ensure he wasn't going to get his *** kicked for something done or said. No, no he thought it was safe, a close call but safe.

Less wine tonight, perhaps, and definitely no whiskey chasers.

The boys were indeed stirring, Adam was already standing up looking around blearily and Augie giving sleepy little yawns of welcome to the waking world. "Hello, gentlemen, we ready for some more fun today? Hmm? Come on, let's go and get ready." Judah got the boys washed and dressed into their penguin outfits, he took a video of their excited squeals and dancing when he showed them how they looked in the mirror, making sure Mirella wouldn't miss it. The man had then taken himself off to get into his own outfit for the day, a deep red coloured long john's style onesie stained with what appeared to be soot. He smudged some around his face too and put a hat upon his head similar to that of the chimney sweep in the movie. A loose beige fabric scarf and suspenders completed his look, to match her Mary inspired look.

As Mirella emerged from the bathroom Jude was hushing the boys, the three hiding behind a wall, ready to put on a mini performance. As Ella walked passed they stepped out, Jude leading the little penguins in a conga line around the living area singing, "Chim Chim Cher-ee" cheerily.

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

When she came out, she was greeted by a song and dance. It made her burst into giggles, stifling them with one hand as she gave a twirl, skirt flairing up. "Well, if the two little penguins are ready to go, we can have a full, fun day today!" She didn't even mention what it was. Her birthday. Twenty-two today, and she didn't even bother to brag. She'd let Jude do that for her - and she was damn sure he would. She just reached for their park passes, her crossbody miniature carpet bag, identification and all, strapping it over her body in lieu of the fanny pack today. Taking the character to the extreme, perhaps, but she couldn't help it. Maybe they'd even run into their better-dressed counterparts today.

"Come on. Let's head downstairs to the restaurant, get our seats. See who's running around today!"

[Judah Marck]

Judah laughed as he waved his fingers spirt finger style, pausing the singing and dancing. Ella seemed happy, and the boys were loving every moment. "Alright, breakfast. Augie, remember the super important special mission I gave you?" His son needed eagerly, taking his cue to run off and grab a bag, attempting to hide it behind his back as the group waddled and walked towards the door. "After you, beautiful birthday girl." Judah winked as walked to her side, pressing his hand to her lower back, a kiss brushed to her cheek. "Today I am your b-... B word." He cleared his throat, opening the door to let the little family out, Jeannie already downstairs making sure they had a good table and the special requests were met.

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

She eyed Judah as he spoke to his son, eyebrows furrowing as the little boy went and grabbed something. "You're going to make a spectacle, aren't you, Judah von der Marck?" she grinned. She'd expected this, but wasn't exactly anticipating that there would be a measure of secrecy. "Are you going to blab out to everyone we meet today? Tell Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Aurora, that it's my birthday?"

It was all in jest, all in good fun, that she said these things. Her smile never waned once, even as she led their small group down the hall to the elevator. Keeping relatively quiet, in case anyone else had had a worse night.

Maybe I should have asked for an aspirin, the thought idly. But as Adam reached out and grabbed her hand, her smile only grew, and she looked back at Jude with a look of such elation.

[Judah Marck]

He tried his best innocent face, really he did, even Augie beside him gave his cutest smile up at Mirella as he hand the bag over to his dad to tuck behind a broader back. "Hm? Noo, when have I ever done such a thing, Sweet Ella? I'm clearly innocent of all things, and no one can claim otherwise. Aint that right, mini-me?" He winked at his son, Augie nodding vigorously at Ella, poking out his lower lip as if to pout at her denying their innocence.

The four went cheerily enough to the elevator, even with Ella looking a bit tender, and the look she gave when Adam took her hand made Jude's heart thump. He loved them all, and was pleased to be able to provide an opportunity for bonding. As they arrived at the restaurant they were immediately greeted by a chirpy server, taking them to their table and give Jude a not-so-subtle thumbs up when he introduced the birthday girl.

Of course he'd planned something, how could he not? One of her favourite characters was attending the breakfast, and she was going to get a special song. "Oh, that reminds me..." He fished in the bag he'd brought along, clearly a gift bag, and pulled out a packet of painkillers. "Thought you might need these... Sorry, I shouldn't have... Yeah." He was sheepish, his head bowed away from her as he mumbled his apology. He tried to remind himself of why they shouldn't drink tonight, even though it was her birthday. He was mostly quiet until his coffee arrived, black as sin and triple brewed with a decent scoop of brown sugar. His favourite. "Mm, oh thank god for coffee." He hummed brightly, sipping the thick liquid. "What cheery horrors have you planned for us today, Firebug?"