Once Upon a Time....

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

This RP takes place in early December 2015

Judah Marck's actions taken with permission

Mirella's Wardrobe ~ Adam's Costume

Disneyland.

The holy grail of childhood for some. For Mirella, this was her first time at the park; she was running around nearly as much as her son Adam was. Her son who didn't know she was his mother. But would. This was one of Mirella's personal tests. Can I be his mother? Can I care for my son? This was a test, of her own strength of will, to see if she could truly parent. She didn't want to be one of those horrible mothers she saw in the grocery stores, screaming at their kids.

The park was milder than expected, as Judah and Mirella escorted August and Adam through the front of the park, tailed by a hired helping hand named Lucinda, who rode with them and helped manage the kids when things got too hectic, or when Mirella went running ahead to greet a character. Which she did repeatedly throughout the day. She couldn't resist becoming like a child at the sight of the character actors, in her casual Alice outfit of black jeans, a neon blue tee, and a bow choker with canvas shoes and a myriad of Wonderland-themed rubber bracelets. The only throw-off was her light brown hair. And Alice certainly commented on their similarities, Adam's Cheshire Cat jumpsuit, and Judah and August's matched Tweedle-esque outfits. There was a change of clothes in the bag Lucinda carried, vaguely themed to the White Rabbit, but Mirella was damn sure he'd keep the Cheshire jumpsuit on until he woke up the next morning when she showed him the penguin-esque outfit she was saving.

There was even a matching outfit for August.

Throughout the day, people kept mistaking Judah and Mirella for a married couple, having a vacation with their children. Initially, Ella was quick to dismiss the assumption, explaining that they were related - but after the fifteenth person suggesting it, Ella and Jude just looked at one another and sighed, acquiescing to the assumption and just letting it happen. And continue to happen it did, even with cast members. "I can take that picture for you guys, just get in there with your wife and kids," said the cast member accompanying Minnie Mouse, while Mirella held Adam and had one hand on August's yellow-clad shoulder while leaning in towards Minnie's face.

Almost no one questioned Lucinda's relation to the group - the explanation they gave when asked was the truth. That Lucinda was there to help manage the kids when they got unruly. She came on the rides with the group, held the snack bars and spare clothes. Judah kept his wallet in his pocket, and Mirella carried a fanny pack with her own wallet inside, including a photocopy of Adam's birth certificate and a photo ID if the little boy, just in case the unthinkable happened, but Lucinda held everything else needed.

The day was mostly smooth, with rides and character experiences going as planned. Lunch was a bit of a mess, with Adam spilling his orange juice down the front of his Cheshire Cat costume and needing to be changed into his White Rabbit getup. Towards the end of the day, while the others went on the Peter Pan ride for a second run, Mirella got a one-on-one conversation with Rapunzel, and Peter Pan himself ambushing her just as Judah and August got off the ride. Ella went running after the green-outfitted character, followed at a slower pace by Rapunzel, as August and Judah both came running from the ride, followed by lagging Lucinda and little Adam, who positively squealed in delight. Judah joined the chase as Peter circled back to the initial location of meeting with Mirella, finally stopping and being suddenly wrapped in a hug from the brunette. The meeting ended with a group photo taken by Rapunzel's accompanying cast member, with both characters in the picture and the biggest grin possible on Mirella's face.

After dinner, the group made the decision to make a stop at the Royal Hall, to see who was in. Upon realizing Belle was in, Mirella made a run for the door, followed closely by the rest of the party, who grouped up in line and met with all three princesses in attendance, of whom Belle was the last in line. A long and gleeful conversation ensued, leading to another happy group photo.

The evening ended with the group in their suite in the Paradise Pier, relaxing in the living room while Lucinda was off in her own room on the same floor. "Today's been a wild ride, hasn't it?" Mirella said, folding her legs up on the couch.

[Judah Marck]

“It most certainly has, I think these little Prince’s are ready for bed. Hmm?” At his hip was Adam, held in Jude’s arm, his head lolling sleepily upon the man’s shoulder. The kids had already been changed into their pj’s, the teeth were brushed and Adam had gotten a goodnight cuddle with Ella. Jude's other hand held that of his own son, Augustine, who was looking up at his dad with a pout as if to say he wasn’t sleepy. The little yawn that broke that serious stare gave him away, and Jude couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, there will be more fun tomorrow Augie, I promise. Aunt Ella and I have a surprise for you both come morning.” With a wink to Mirella the man was leading his son and carrying Adam off to the bedrooms, getting them tucked in. It was lights out for Adam the second his head hit the pillow, but Augustine had a curious little look on his face as Judah went about tucking him in. Big brown eyes watched Judah's every move, the little man nibbling at his lower lip.

“Augie," Jude sighed, "what’s wrong? Let me guess, need a glass of water? A bedtime story?” His brow went up, the lopsided grin that accompanied it showing he wasn’t mad. Augie shook his sleepy head making his light brown hair fall in his eyes, it had been getting darker as the years went by and it made Jude wonder whether the boy who already shared similarities to his parents would get that trait too. “Daddy?” He queried as Jude sat beside him, brushing the hair back from his son's forehead. “Mmm, what is it, August?” The boy settled in closer, his fingertips toying with the ear on the old teddy bear his Uncle Austin had gifted him years ago. “You came here with mummy, didn’t you? Did she go on the Peter Pan ride too?" It had been his favourite of the day; both Judah and August loved Peter Pan. “She did, and I told her that she was the Wendy to my Peter before I stole a kiss.” He leaned over to kiss at his son’s cheek, and blow a raspberry, tickling at Augie's sides as he giggled. “Then can I be a lost boy? I’m the rabbit Nibs! And Aus, too, he’s Cubby the bear!” August held up the bear as he asked as if to make his point, “Uncle Austin can be one as well, he can be the fox! Slightly!” Jude smiled indulgently, re-tucking the blankets around August. “You can be whatever you want in this world, alright, Nibs? Now get some shut eye.”

Judah looked a shade wearier as he returned to Ella, slumping down onto the ground at her feet, leaning his head back to rest in her lap. The man had taken the time to change from his Tweedle attire into a simple pair of blue plaid pyjama pants and a loose dark blue t-shirt, and of course he'd brought them a treat that he'd snuck in via his suitcase. The bottle of wine, block of chocolate and two glasses were wiggled proudly before being carefully put down. “So, my darling not-wife, a glass of wine and some good old fashioned gossip before bed? A bit of grown up time, hmm?Did you have fun today?” His eyes closed a moment, just enjoying the quiet, his cheek turning to nuzzle against her. “I fully encourage hair petting and telling me I’m the best, by the way, don’t be shy.”

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

"I'll tuck them in tomorrow night. Split the duty of it," Mirella told Judah politely as he took the little ones into the two bedrooms. She just...couldn't tonight.

Sometimes, it hurt, not being able to tell Adam that she was his mother. This was one of those times. It was like an ache around her heart, insatiable and incurable. If she was honest with herself, it was always there, always aching, always burning like a star. It was what her mother had told her was her love for her son, unable to be expressed. So it caused her pain.

To Mirella, it was torture. Torment.

The welcome sight of alcohol in Judah's hand made her sigh with relief, when he came back out of the bedroom. The exhaustion in her face betrayed the emotional pain she felt; it wore on her throughout the day, especially once everyone started assuming she and Judah were married. She herself had changed into a Beauty & The Beast pajama set - featuring the couple dancing on the light gray shirt, and Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Lumiere on the pants that otherwise matched Beast's dancing jacket. Meeting Belle and Rapunzel had certainly been the highlights of Mirella's day, especially when the encounter with Rapunzel had led into an encounter with Peter Pan himself.

"Grown-up time is a must, my lovely not-husband. I had a lot of fun. I swear, if I'd been wearing anything loose, Peter would have grabbed it," she giggled, finally stretching out her legs and reclining into the couch a bit more. "As it is, he messed up my hair." She was teasing Judah about his favorite Disney character, and it felt justified. After all, he had tried to buy her a ring to wear. She still wore Nenya around her left ring finger - it was why she usually wore it on a chain around her neck. It only fit that finger, and just right, too.

"We're going to have so many photos on our phones from this vacation. Facebook overload, here we come. Do you wanna go villain hunting on Thursday?"

Pajamas

[Judah Marck]

"It's not duty to me, it's an honour. I wish I could do that for him every night, you know? Once this is all over, once I... Nevermind." Mirella knew somewhat of his research, of his work for the family but not in any great detail and it certainly wasn't in his plans to tell her now. If his estimations were correct then by end of April he would other have reached the pinnacle of his life's work, or he'd fall to pieces and his fragile faith, his teetering sanity would come crashing down around him.

"I know this must be hard for you, Firebug, being here with Adam and playing cousin. One day you'll both be ready, and i'll do everything I can to help the transition be as smooth as possible." It was a promise he'd made to her many times, the man reaching up to take one of her hands, bringing it down so he could press his lips to the back of it.

He laughed at her teasing, glad for the reassurance that she had enjoyed herself. He'd spared no expense for this trip, the von der Marck money, rarely touched by his hand, had been put into a few smart investments largely property and small trust funds for the little Prince's. He kept aside decent sums in high interest accounts he could access to fund his research trips, or occasionally splash out so he could look the part at the occasional events he had to present at. Gregor could tease all he looked, but while Judah's style was streamlined, smart with a touch of vintage quirk, it was almost all designer baby.

"I'm relieved, perhaps I should have gotten you a thimble so he might have given Wendy a kiss before I got to you. That would be a fun story to tell." The character actor had decided she resembled his darling Wendy, and had been telling her as much. He'd even gone so far as to challenge Judah to a play duel for her heart, he'd let Jude win assuming the two were an item and he hadn't disappointed. Upon his winning he had swept Mirella up into his arms, brushing the briefest of kisses to her lips to the disappointed pout of Peter Pan and cheers of those fellow patrons watching the little scene play out. The children had cheered, though Augie had looked briefly confused at the gesture before shrugging and accepting. He was a von der Marck, the boy was able to take things in his stride. "Well, actually... I guess it turned out pretty well after all." He gave her a fond smile, lifting his head to focus on the wine and glasses. He cracked open the bottle, pouring the glasses but not lifting them just yet, letting the wine breathe.

"I promised a million pictures to those who cared to ask for them, your parents were particularly insistent as were wine, and Augie's other grandparents. Even Louvel wants a nice one of us all, or just a bunch of ridiculous ones. I'm sure we can oblige." He'd already sent the man a few selfie's with his son, pulling faces in their Tweedle outfits. He picked up the chocolate blocking, cracking it in rows and opening it up, placing it on the small side table nearest them along with the remaining wine in it's bottle. He passed her one of the glasses, raising his own towards her. "Prost, sweet Ella. To happily ever after, may it find us." He toasted, making sure to look her in the eye to avoid that pesky rumour about 7 years bad luck in bed if you didn't. When the wine hit his tongue it sent a shiver down his spine, it had been just what he needed. "Mmm, sometimes it's good to be bad." He sighed out, referring to his sneaking a few bottles in, "Villains Thursday it is."

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

"I know, I know," Mirella said, lowering her head to one hand. "I just..." And she drifted off, trying to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to swell from her eyes, stream down her face, and stain her pajamas with salt. She didn't want to have to sleep in a wet shirt, for one, but moreover, she didn't like feeling weak. And sometimes cryng made her feel weak. Especially when she wept for what could have been.

"It is hard. It hurts, Jude...it just hurts, not being able to tell my son that I'm his mother. Me, not cousin Louise. Me. I want so bad to tell him - to take him up and be his mom - but I can't. Not yet. Not until I know I can do it. This trip is a test of my capability, yes, but it's also painful. More painful than I could have ever imagined."

As the wine breathed, and then was poured, she took several deep breaths, trying to settle her nerves. She sank back into the couch - a sleeper sofa, if she remembered the brochure - and spoke. "Thank you, by the way, for bringing the wine. And the chocolate. Both very good things to have. But we have got to hit Main Street, too. I've heard the fudge is divine, if expensive."

There had been so much research to be done during the weeks leading up to the event. Travel tips with young children, tips for what rides to hit, everything had been planned. There was an itinerary stored on both their phones, devised by Mirella for maximum enjoyment of the parks. And yes, there would be a hit of California Adventure during their visit. Yes, the incident with Peter Pan had been entirely unplanned, but it had been so beautiful, with Rapunzel, Mirella's second favorite princess, joining in on the fun. The character attendent had even tried to stop the princess from it, but after a moment, decided it would be out of character for Rapunzel not to help a fan try to chase down Peter Pan. Then the play duel had happened, interesting enough when it led to a lot of laughter and cheers from the crowd. Mirella had been watching anxiously, as if afraid there would be real damage done. Luckily, there was none, and if there had been, it would likely have something small. Maybe a split lip. But Peter Pan - nor his character actor - would shy away from a duel for "Wendy" for anything. Even though Mirella knew Wendy was probably elsewhere in the park, despite not being seen throughout the day.

"A million pictures indeed." There had been selfies and Snapchats throughout the day sent to Mirella's mother and to Caitlin, who was a huge Disney buff and was looking forward to her graduation for the sheer purpose of a promised Disney vacation lasting two whole weeks. She was a Disney Fairies fan, and had sworn on her life that if Mirella did not send her a Snapchat with Tinker Bell at some point during the vacation, there would be words. Sharp words. Mirella took the glass, smiling faintly now. She replied to his toast in kind, taking the tiniest sip without looking away from Jude's brown eyes. A slight sigh escaped her as the wine hit her tongue. "Very good to be bad. I even brought a Maleficent Disneybound getup for Thursday. Every source I've found indicates that young kids will get really tired by the end of a second day. I told Lucinda she's probably going to spend at least an hour on Thursday at the pool."

[Judah Marck]

He chuckled gently, taking a deep sip of the wine. "Mmm, you're quite welcome, I think you've earned yourself a glass of wine and a treat. I'll go and grab you some fudge tomorrow, you can choose which ones you'd like. Remember, price is not an object this holiday so you just tell me what you want. Alright?" Was he pampering the young woman too much? Perhaps. Had he been doing so for years? Most definitely. "You've done an amazing job planning, Mirella, i'm not sure I would've had the time or focus to do so." To be fair if Judah set his mind to anything related to study he could generally find out anything he wanted, and his compiling skills were second to none but fun? Planning, scheduling and researching for fun? Well, he had his childlike curiosity but Ella seemed far more in touch with the magic that was Disney.

The dark haired gentleman stretched out his legs in front of him, picking up a piece of the chocolate and placing it on his tongue, letting it melt slowly. "Mmm, so good." He murmured, letting his eyes slip closed, head returning to rest back in her lap. "I'm sure you'll look adorable as ever in your outfit, I think tomorrow's will be great. The kids are going to love the penguin outfits, they'll look great." He laughed, thinking of his own chimney sweep outfit, "I think tomorrow is going to be another day of you being called Mrs, you are aware of that right? I'm sorry for it, it must be really annoying. I'm used to people assuming about wives, I mean I do still wear my ring. It would feel too strange being without it now, I mean I don't know what i'd do if by some miracle I ever was going to marry again." He twisted the simple band around using his thumb on the same hand, tracing over the surface. He couldn't really handle the thought of taking it off, it was part of him, part of who he was. "That would mean taking this off long before it happened I suppose." He shrugged dismissively, as if it could dismiss the topic altogether. He didn't really suspect it would be an issue.

"I wish we had a piano in here, you know? We could all sit around singing Disney songs, though the way things are going I doubt the kids would be able to stay up long enough for one." The man scoffed a little chuckle sound, letting the wine glass come to his lips once more, "Mmm. You're right about them being tired, we'll have two tuckered out little boys on the flight home. If Adam is anything like Augie was at that age, i'm expecting we'll have a lot of cuddles to prepare for." His smile was wistful, remembering how it had made him feel when his son, utterly exhausted, would only sleep if he got cuddles from Jude specifically. "I once drove over to his grandparents in the middle of the night because he was feeling unwell, and he wanted cuddles. No one else's cuddles would do, just his Daddy's. That kind of love is what makes it worth it, and I pray to God that he still feels that way when he is old enough to fully understand." He sighed, it was one of his greatest fears, that August wouldn't understand why he'd made the choice he did why he wasn't with him every day.

"Uh, so..." He glanced up at her apologetically, thinking the subject was getting too heavy. "What else do you want to do tonight, huh? And if you say foot rub, I swear i'll get my tickle on." He wiggled his fingers at her threateningly.

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

"I've heard about this orange creamsicle fudge that's only available here - I hope they still have it. Oh, and of course, the rock candy...I've heard it's the best in the world." Mirella took a delicate sip from her glass, before she snort-giggled. "I'm glad you're enjoying my planning. I read it was advisable to plan everything out as much as possible before doing anything at the parks. Especially with little ones. Planning is invaluable, but sometimes things just happen to change those plans." She giggled again. "How much you wanna bet that story with Peter's going to be repeated a million times by the man himself?" That would be truly amazing - for all involved.

With her free hand, Mirella reached out and snagged up a piece of chocolate, letting out a soft moan at the way it melted on her tongue. "Oh my god, that's amazing," she murmured, before taking another tiny sip of wine and switching her wine to the other hand. Then her hand met Judah's hair, gently sliding through the dark strands. "You'll look adorable, too, don't deny it," she laughed, "you and your chimney sweep outfit. Escorting two little penguins around the park. I gave Lucinda an outfit, too, that vaguely suits the theme." Then she sighed, reaching to set the wineglass on the side table and rubbing at her temples gently. "You shouldn't have to take it off, Judah," she said lightly, shifting ever so slightly under him. "Any woman would be lucky to have you, wedding band and all. It's part of your life. Part of you. And don't you ever ******* change, all right?

"As for the piano, I'm kind of glad we don't," she admitted. "That would mean staying up much later and not being as rested for tomorrow. Then we'd be sleeping in late for my birthday breakfast." She jabbed a finger into his shoulder, giggling. "And we don't want to miss the character breakfast, do we?"

It was as he spoke of late-night cuddles and driving just to go and comfort his son, that the tears spilled over again, in earnest this time. She barely held in a sob as she realized just how much she was missing with Adam. "Did I make a mistake, giving him to Louise and Dennis? Did I **** everything up? I'm sorry, I wasn't planning to be a sobbing mess, it just hurts me to not be his mother when he needs me. He had a cold last month and I couldn't be there to take care of my baby. It hurt so much you wouldn't even believe!" Then he started joking and she gave a watery laugh.

"Not a foot rub, no. Just a hug?"

[Judah Marck]

He damn near purred as fingers sunk amongst his dark locks, the man wriggling to get comfortable, eyes shut to happily enjoy the sensation. "I'm going to be adorable, of course. Just look at me." He teased, he wasn't overly vain, not by Gregor standards but he knew his strengths. He understood how to make himself look good, but wasn't afraid to also be a bit of a good ball.s all good things, it had to come to an end and unfortunately he had taken the discussion too far, and Mirella had turned the discussion back to his concerns over his ring. "Thank you, Firebug, you're sweet to say." His eyes peeked opened as she shifted, draining the last of the wine from his glass. How had it disappeared so quickly? In his head he made some lame joke about miracles, but didn't voice it, no she seemed to be working towards something.

"Character breakfast?" He groaned out loud, of course he knew about it, but wanted to play the part of the exasperated man dragged along on a trip. In reality, he was loving it and she knew it. This was time away from all the heavy stuff, all the bad thoughts and scary decisions. When he got back, he had two months of that before going on another mission, another family trip.

He took the jab to the shoulder, and was about to turn around to tickle her, to toss her over his shoulder or some other devious thing when he saw her eyes growing red and her words turning dark. Damn. This was his fault, and he knew it, he'd wanted to give her a chance to spend some time with her son, to help her see what it meant to be around him 24/7. He knew it would be difficult, but he didn't want her to ache this way. "Hey there, come on now sweet Ella." He hushed the woman, Jude moving so that he could lift her legs, slipping to under them. His arms came around her, pulling her into his lap and rocking the woman to his chest. "Shh, shh. You did what you had to at the time, you said it yourself that you weren't ready and he's had a great upbringing so far. He has all of us at hand, ready to support and love him. That's more than so many children get." He brushed a hand over her hair, nudging his lips to her forehead. "I promised I would make this ok, and I intend to keep that promise."

[Mirella (DELETED 8125)]

Mirella curled in close to Jude, taking the switch in stride even as she started sobbing quietly. "It's like a hole," she managed to get out syllable by syllable between sobs. Tears stained Jude's tee shirt, even trying to keep herself quiet. It worked the most part - the ones she was trying to keep from knowing she was crying stayed in their beds. No pattering little feet running to come see what the noise was. It took her a few minutes, before she finally started to calm down, settling into her cousin's form and starting to breathe slower.

"I'm sorry...I didn't want to get like this. I just want him to know me as more than just Aunt Ella. More than just some random family member who cares about him." She sniffled, wiping at her nose with two fingers and just staying curled up. "He deserves more than that from his mom. He deserves more than I was ready to give him." Her sniffles settled, too, and she breathed a heavy, suffering sigh. She wanted to give Adam more, so much more. But she couldn't. Not yet. Not until the time was right. And it just wasn't yet. He was too young, too vulnerable to such an upheaval. It didn't matter that it hurt her, it was a pure truth that she couldn't pull him from Louise and Dennis just yet.

A few more moments passed, and she said, "I don't think we'll get the Tower of Terror in on Thursday without running around all day." Changing the topic almost seamlessly. "Unless we want to have lunch at Ariel's Grotto. Fair warning, it's a Princess restaurant in California Adventure."

[Judah Marck]

He let the tears mark his shirt, not caring about it right now, more interested in helping the woman be soothed. Jude let her cry, "Let it out." He encouraged, holding her to ease the movement of the sobs that wracked her slight frame. "You will, you will find a way and while it won't be easy it's not impossible. This family is close, this family supports each other and will support you. If Adam is anything like the rest of us he won't even bat an eyelash, but there will be questions. You just have to make sure you're ready for it when they time comes." He muttered, his lips pressing against her hair, nudging kisses. They sat in silence as she calmed down, he was relieved not to hear the stirring of little Prince's, he had no doubt they could sleep through a hurricane after the exciting day they'd had.

Jude laid back against the couch, reaching to grab hold of a tissue, pressing it easily into Ella's hand. She was come, and he knew how exhausting crying like that could be, he had no doubt tat the woman would soon be ready for bed. As she spoke again he couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him, shocked by the casual choice of topic. "Seriously? Sweet Ella, you can choose, I don't mind missing that i've been a few times and are you saying I won't fit in with Princess's? I look A-M-A-ZING in a tiara." He teased, wriggling his way out from under the woman. shedding the now dampened shirt with a disappointed huff.