𝕊𝕥𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕 ➶

𝔽𝕚𝕗𝕥𝕪-𝔼𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥: ℝ𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕣𝕪

"My mother wants to meet your parents," Valentina told her boyfriend and girlfriend one night as she was preparing for bed. Morticia and Gomez were already snuggled up on the twin mattress, a space still waiting for her.

She always loved their hair right before bed. Tish's hair was curled a little at the ends --in a way that would fall out by morning-- and gracefully pinned up to keep it from tangling in the night. Free of copious amounts of hair gel that kept it combed down, his was longer and fluffier than she could have imagined.

Both girls loved compulsively running their fingers through it. Although one night Val's fingers snagged in a tangle and, when she pulled them through anyhow, Gomez let out the most obscene moan. So that was embarrassing. Mostly for her. He had no shame, either in his pain or his pleasure.

"Alright," Tish replied, without any muss or fuss.

To say Valentina was shocked would be an understatement. She expected at least a little push-back.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"In-laws should always meet before the wedding, not at or after it!" Gomez added, boisterous and loud despite the fact he wasn't supposed to be in the girls' dorm at this late hour. "You need to meet my brother Fester as well!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" She said, wide-eyed and more than a little panicky. "No one's getting married! And please do not mention your vision in front of my mother. She'll absolutely freak."

A beat of silence, during which the two bedfellows shared a look... Then, "Mon chou, you're making it sound like your mother already doesn't like us."

She let out an anxious laugh that hid absolutely nothing. It didn't stop her from lying, though. "What?! No! Not at all! You're imagining things."

"Why doesn't she like us?" He had the gall to ask after, you know, the whole kidnapping incident.

She decided to be at least a little honest. "She thinks you're dangerous..." Then, heading tilted and voice hushed, she asked, "Are you dangerous?"

"Not to you," Morticia answered for him.

"We love you," Gomez sighed.

Valentina let out a little sigh --really more of a huff-- through her nose. "I know." She couldn't say more than that, though. She liked the pair to be sure, but she didn't love them... At least not yet. If Tish's vision was right, then maybe--

She was quick to change the subject. "So! My mom suggested everyone spend winter break together..."

~~~

After much discussion, the kids eventually settled on asking Gomez's parents --the Addamses-- to host their little get-together. Apparently, the Addamses and the Frumps had been quite chummy with each other even before their children fell in love.

"Mama was even planning an arranged marriage between Gomez and my sister Ophelia at one point," Morticia explained during the four-hour car ride from Nevermore to the Addams' winter estate in upstate New York. Apparently they were no snowbirds, preferring the cold and snow over warmer, sunnier places.

"My parents' marriage was arranged. It didn't last long enough for me to graduate college, though..." Valentina answered.

That knowledge burned her for any and all arranged marriages. Tolerating --or even merely liking-- someone was not enough to keep a relationship alive. Love needed to be there and present.

"I didn't know you had a sister," she added, because she'd rather not dwell on the topic of arranged marriages.

Tish's expression soured. "Yes. Ophelia's a few years older than me, graduated from Nevermore already. We're polar opposites in almost every respect, but we're both... Unusual... In our own ways, of course. The love is there, even if it's hard to relate. You won't be meeting her this visit, though. She's off traveling the world. Last I heard from her, she was staying at this hotel for outcasts in Transylvania."

As interesting as that was, it was obviously a sore topic for the girl, so Val refocused her attention on Gomez. "What's your brother like, Gomez?"

"Oh, Fester's a hoot! We're like two cannibals in a fat man's rib cage! I'll have to show you some of our photos and home movies... He's quite the dashing fellow, too. Just don't go falling in love with him, cariño! I'd hate to have to kill my own brother." He was joking, right? God, she hoped he was joking.

On that cheery note, she popped the CD she'd burned specifically for this road trip into the black Beetle's radio console and Ella Fitzgerald's "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" started playing.

It had been snowing as they first started making their way south, and there was already at least a foot of snow on the ground once they finally reached their destination. The brightness of the snow was a stark contrast against Addams residence. The Victorian mansion was maroon with black and gold accents, and stood out from the horizon like a blood stain on a white blouse. Still...

"It's beautiful," she said in awe as she climbed out of the Bug. She shivered a little, not dressed for winter... But Gomez reassured her that they'd have plenty of hand-me-downs that she could wear. Probably none in pastels, though. She asked her mother to pack a suitcase with her warmest clothes from home, just in case.

"Do you like it?" He asked. If he were a puppy, his tail would be wagging right now.

"I love it!"

He puffed up like a preening bird. "I'm glad! You see, it was built in 1897 by Gwydion Addams for his wife--"

Before he could continue with his history lesson, though, the front door opened and the largest man she'd ever seen --tall and broad-- stepped out. His facial features reminded her a little of Frankenstein, scarily enough.

"Greetings, Lurch! How have you been, my good man? There's only a few bags to carry in. I can handle it."

Lurch --how come even the Addams family manservant had a really odd name?-- grunted but didn't listen to his young charge. Instead, he braved the ice and snow to retrieve the luggage himself. He must have had superhuman strength in addition to big hands, because he took everything in one load.

With the luggage taken care of, Gomez took the time to help Morticia and Valentina out of the car instead. Val, shivering in her shirtsleeves, pulled her cardigan tighter around herself. She hoped there was a space heater inside, because it was absolutely freezing.

"Shall we?" She asked, not wanting to invite herself into someone else's home, especially unannounced.

"We shall!" He answered before leading them up the stairs, unto the veranda, and in through the front door.