The Royal Scandal | Prince William |

Finding Home

December 24, 2000

It had been a long time since Jaclyn had seen Illinois in its full winter glory, and even though she hated the cold the season had a special place in her heart. Christmas was around the corner and as much as she loathed Villa Grove, her home town, the decorations made it completely tolerable. 

The snow was frosting over the windows, the light polls that were covered in garland emmitted a golden glow that illuminated the whole car. She was vibrating as the driver approached the lawn and garden center. She hadn't told her parents that she was coming home. This could get intresting.

Once out in front of the circle drive amongst all the christmas trees her father had grown, she exhaled. There were people moving back and forth in the lights on the inside of the tan building, and for a second Jaclyn almost ran the other way. While she was off trying to become a dancer, and running around with royalty her family was going on here. They had developed a life that moved on without her, they didn't need her to function.

All she wanted was to be held by her mom, and vent about everything that was going on because she had been pretending for so long to be strong.

When in reality she was anything but.

She wanted to complain to someone who she could trust about the way she dressed, explain the situation with William, and she wanted to vent about the one person she never talked because even though no one mentioned her grandfather he was more on her mind this year than he had been in a long time.

 Before she could bolt a tiny little boy with fluffy golden hair saw her through the clear double doors. It was her little brother Caleb, and his lips mashed into a shape that told her he was squealing. Suddenly her mom was crouched down at his side, and when her eyes followed the path of his tiny finger she fell still as well because standing out in the freezing cold was her daughter.

Then somehow Jaclyn was pulled through the doors into the warmth of the shop in her mother's arms. Her mom was talking, but Jaclyn was too busy grinning holding onto her mom as her eyes scanned the shop that was decorated in metal and logs to the point that it was almost tacky. She had missed it so much. 

"Dear, what are you doing here?" her mom asked grabbing her attention. Unsure of what to say she just shrugged, and then she was pulled back, several arms tackling her. 

"Gaga, Grandma Janet," she laughed hugging them back just as enthusiasticlly. Her Papa Larry patted her head like he always had, and she gave him a broad smile as it seemed her grandmas weren't going to let her go.

In the summer her Gaga's hair had faded to a light gray and grown down to her shoulders, now it was back to its usual dyed brown and frayed at her ears. While her grandma Janet's was an almost startling color of box dye red, surely an attempt to bring back her natural ruby hair. It also seemed her Gaga had tried to reinvent Janet's style from loving grandma to stylish senior still pretending to be forty.

Jaclyn was kind of digging it.

"How'd you get here Jac?" Her dad asked cutting right to the chase like always. Giving him a tight lipped grin she tried to come up with an excuse. What would her family think of her if she said a prince sent her home. Even if she swore up and down that the two of them weren't in a relationship her family would see it that way. It would lead to her Gaga panicking, her family would draw up conclusions that she was so not ready for. 

Catching onto her silence her grandmas let her go allowing her mom and dad to swoop in.

"Jac, the truth?" It was just like every other time her dad questioned her, she fell apart instantly. "William gave me the ticket." As her mother picked Caleb up, she almost dropped him upon hearing this, the little boy only gurgled in response.

There was no denying now that there was more going on between William and her than friendly feelings. Sure, the two of them still hadn't fessed up to anything, but you don't just buy anyone a plane ticket across the world. Even if they stayed friends, she could probably be considered an extra special friend.

"He did?" Her Gaga asked her thumb finding it's way to her mouth in-between her words. Oh dear, she was making her Gaga chew her nails. "It's no big deal, I just told him I wasn't coming home, so he went ahead and bought the ticket. Will's is really cool like that, he doesn't expect anything in return."

"Will's?" Her mom asked.

"Cool?" Her Grandma Janet continued.

Her Papa Larry was the one that stepped forward sighing as he pulled her into his side. Jaclyn remembered feeling so frail when he held her years ago, but now she was almost as tall as him and his he aged she grew stronger meaning she held him up now. "No guy does something expecting nothing," he whispered into her ear probably to avoid panicking the Jaclyn protection club.

"William is a perfect gentlemen, and as soon as there's something going on between us you'll be the first to know," seeing as they weren't about to argue anymore as of yet she turned to her mom and Caleb, "now let me see my baby brother."

The baby squealed as he was placed in her arms, and Jaclyn nuzzled his nose making him giggle.

Despite her worries there was still a place left for her in the functioning family. They all fit her into their Christmas process easily just like she had never left.

Sorry for the short chapter, but this story's about to start picking up. Are you ready? I'm not 😂