canon au } { post-1409, of meeting the parents and proposals

[thisholyspark]

Liv: [and the four of them make their way up to the door of the Mason house, balancing the dessert they bought for later and some of the presents for the family, she glances back over her shoulder at her parents and smiles] You guys good?

Bela: [nods, before glancing over at her husband] I am. Are you?

Sam: Yeah, I'm good. [smiles. he's nervous, but he's been getting better at doing the dad things]

Liv: [nods and goes to reach for the door, knocking quickly before reaching for the knob and pushing it open] Merry Christmas!

Tom: Hey! Merry Christmas! [his voice comes from near the kitchen where he's helping Matt and Ben finish setting out the appetizers on the island bar.]

Hal: [and he will take everyone's jackets so he can hang them up while the Winchesters head inside]

Liv: [heads towards the kitchen because dessert, but also because that's likely where the adult Masons are and they can get introductions out of the way quickly] Tom, Rebecca, these are my parents - Sam and Bela.

Bela: A pleasure to meet you. You have a lovely home. [as British as always]

Sam: [and he's of course instantly distracted by the bookcase, but he'll look over and smile] Thank you for inviting us to dinner.

Rebecca: [and she will wipe her hands on her apron before handing Bela a wine glass of chardonnay] I hope your trip was easy. I can't imagine trying to travel during the holidays.

Bela: Ooh, thank you. [she lifts the glass with a smile] We both actually do a lot of traveling so I don't think we thought much of it.

Rebecca: Liv says that you handle antique and art sales. How does that work?

Sam: [is talking with Tom about books and they may slip over to the bookcase]

Bela: I work mostly in procurement. Clients come to me with what they're looking for and I arrange the sales. [and sometimes those sales are her stealing them and then selling them, but that's not important. Hal's mother doesn't have to know that]

Rebecca: I assume that pays well. What's the hardest thing someone's asked you to find?

Bela: Oooh. A rabbit foot, believe it or not. It had a great deal of importance to the client, but unfortunately I learned that it was destroyed tragically in a fire. [and this is where she figures out if her husband is listening because her daughter definitely snorted some of her beer on that one]

Sam: [nope, you have lost him to the world of geek]

Hal: [and he's going to bring Liv a drink] Five minutes in and no dead bodies.

Rebecca: So what'd you do for the client? Replace it with one from a magic shop?

Bela: [that's her boy] No this one was very specific. We had to come to other arrangements. However, it wasn't a total loss. That was how I met him. [gestures to her husband]

Liv: We may just make it out of this in one piece yet.

Hal: Ten more minutes and our dad's will be best friends.

Rebecca: [smiles] I'm sure that's worth it all.

Bela: [smirks] It's certainly a comforting balm on a bad day at the office. [granted, they didn't get together until much, much later, but it was a start] So how did you and Tom meet?

Liv: And Mom is really good at charming people, so I think the moms are set too.

Rebecca: He was in grad school and I was working in a coffee shop while finishing my bachelors. He looked so lost, like a puppy.

Bela: [she laughs] It's always the type, isn't it? Those puppy dog eyes are how they get you.

Rebecca: Right? I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if that's how Liv fell for Hal. My boys have mastered their father's lost puppy look.

Bela: Given that she has a brother who tended to use them on her, she may be immune. But it's hard to say for sure. [Bela sure thought she was, but that was clearly not the case]

Hal: [whispers into Liv's ear] Think they'd miss us if we snuck upstairs for a bit?

Rebecca: Could be. I was sad to hear that Michael wasn't coming. Liv talks about her brother and her cousin Ben often.

Bela: [she nods] Maybe next time. Michael had already made plans with his girlfriend for Christmas, and he didn't want to disappoint.

Liv: [glances around before shaking her head] Don't think so, no.

Hal: [and he will take her hand and they can head into the living room with their drink, and then sneak up to his room. It's just been almost a month since he's seen her...]

Liv: [she very much wants to see him too and she smiles as he leads the way, waiting until the door closes behind them before draping her arms around his neck] Hi.

Hal: Hi. [and his will snake around her waist before leaning his head down to kiss her]

Liv: [hums as she kisses him back, letting him pull her in closer]

Hal: [and yeah, he's not going to disrespect his folks by doing anything more while there's company, but he wanted to welcome her back properly so she knows how much he missed her]

Liv: [well she appreciates the warm welcome] Did I miss anything good?

Hal: Beyond just narrowly avoiding having a really awkward Christmas Eve with the other half of Ben squared.

Liv: Probably for the best. I don't think Dad would have handled it well.

Hal: Probably not. Though I'd love to see his face, not gonna lie.

Liv: [shakes her head] I don't know. I'm pretty sure Uncle Dean wants to keep him as far away from us as possible still.

Hal: I know. Plus, there's always the chance it could open a paradox and swallow our reality.

Liv: And that would be very bad.

Hal: And I don't want that to happen while you're here with me.

Liv: Definitely not. [a beat] Speaking of being here with you though - my parents got a hotel. So we don't worry about having to accommodate them while we're here.

Hal: Oh, thank God. We don't have to listen to Matt bitch then about sleeping in Ben's room.

Liv: Oh, definitely not. My mom travels in style when she has a say in the matter, so she was definitely going to get them their own space.

Hal: So we only have to worry about my parents at night.

Liv: Are we staying tonight?

Hal: Nope. They had us last night. Tonight is just about you and me.

Liv: Good. Because I would much rather be at home with you.

Hal: Same here. [since he's got a surprised planned after dinner]

Liv: [oh does he?] So. Anything else I should know?

Hal: [shakes his head, smiling] Just that I love you.

Liv: [grins as she leans in to kiss him again] Love you too.

Hal: [and he will kiss her back. There's nothing that's going to remove the smile from his face. Alien could invade and he'd still be smiling]

Liv: [but please, lets not have aliens invade. Eventually she breaks the kiss and pulling away lightly] Now, as much as I love being up here with you, I am also starving so ... dinner?

Hal: Dinner. [and he will let her go so they can head back downstairs]

Liv: [and good times are had by all! There is food! There are presents! The parents continue to get along!]

Hal: [and as it gets closer to desert time, Hal exchanges a glance with his mother, who will go into the kitchen and come back with a bottle of something wrapped in a towel for condensation. He then kneels next to Matt and whispers in his ear, holding his cellphone out to him.]

Sam: [and he sees this happening and looks over at Bela, because there was something going on he wasn't privy to]

Bela: [shrugs because she doesn't know anything either and she looks at Liv]

Liv: [also confused. sorry parents, she doesn't know anything]

Hal: [and he will walk over to the tree and peer into it. Like he has no idea that there was a box with a ribbon on it sitting there] Hey, I think we missed a present. [and he will reach into the tree and pull out the ringbox]

Liv: [her eyebrows go up and then she looks at the ring box and then she looks back at her parents because she did not know this was happening]

Sam: [he knew it would eventually happen because Hal asked for permission back in the summer. He thought it was going to happen at Thanksgiving, which was why he was blindsided by Ben taking that moment. He just smiled back at his daughter]

Hal: Liv, since the moment I met you on campus, I knew you were different. Special. And as I spent more and more time with you, I came to realize that you were everything I needed in my life. You keep me honest, show me a completely different view of the world, and even though I can be a dumb jock sometimes, you still manage to love me. I can't imagine my life without you, and I don't want to. [and he will kneel in front of her, holding out the box that he hasn't opened. After all, it is her present] Olivia Winchester, will you do me the honor of being my wife?

Liv: [it takes her a second to really process it, before she nods and flashes him a bright smile] Yeah.

Hal: [and his smile just gets brighter and he will lean up to kiss her]

Liv: [and she'll kiss him back, sliding her arms around his neck]

Hal: [and there will be cheers, and the popping of champagne, but he's just focused on Liv and will press his forehead against hers] You should probably open that. [meaning the ring box]

Liv: [she glances down at it, before reaching over to open the box]

Hal: [and she will see a ring, silver and bright, waiting for her]

Liv: [her eyes widen] This looks way too expensive to be anywhere near me.

Hal: [chuckles] Yeah, I've been saving up for awhile. But I made sure it was made with all smooth edges so it can't catch on anything and clean easily.

Liv: I appreciate that. [but it will probably stay in it's box at home when she's working all the same]

Hal: [and he will take it out and slide it onto her finger, hoping he got the size right]

Liv: [given that she's never owned a ring in her life, he probably didn't have much to go on, but it seems to do the trick]

Rebecca: [bringing over two flutes of champagne] It looks perfect, Liv.

Liv: It does. It's beautiful.

Rebecca: [and she will lean in and hug them both] Congratulations.

Liv: Thank you. [and once she's extracted, she'll look over at her dad] You knew.

Sam: [coming over and smiling] Hal called during the summer to ask my permission. Old fashioned, but never thought I'd get this kind of moment.

Liv: Thanks for sharing. [she's kidding, but still]

Sam: Sorry, not sorry. [and he will walk over to hug her]

Liv: [and she'll lean into the hug] I'm sure you're not.

Sam: [whispering into Liv's hair] I'm so glad you came into my life, Liv. And I'm really proud of you.

Liv: Thanks, Dad. [pulls back to look at him with a smile] I'm glad I got here too.

Sam: [and he will let her go to talk to her mother while watching Hal getting tackled to the ground by his exuberant brothers]

Bela: [and there will be hugging and talking, and admiring the ring, because Bela does care about these things]

Tom: [and he will be congratulating Sam like father's do]

Liv: [and eventually they will go back to dessert and get through the rest of the night happily, so that these two can go home]

Sam: [as well as these two]

Hal: [and he will kiss his parents goodbye and go get their coats]

Bela: [they will say their goodbyes and swap numbers because that's the sensible thing to do for in-laws]

Liv: [will go with him and say her goodbyes as well]

Hal: [and then it's just them in the car driving home]

Liv: [where they will likely do lots of celebrating when they get there]

Hal: [so much celebrating. Naked celebrating]

Liv: [yep, that kind. And probably at some point a picture of the ring is dropped into the group chat with Michael and Ben]

Michael: You guys are seriously trying to make me look bad.

Hal: [he will have also sent the video he had Matt take to them so they could see the moment]

Ben: Finally. I've been waiting for this text since Thanksgiving. Congrats.

Liv: Thanks. Though I honestly wasn't expecting it after Thanksgiving.

Hal: [to Liv] He asked if I was going to then because he didn't want to step on your moment with his own proposal.

Liv: I figured that much. But I thought you might have waited longer.

Hal: I'm fine with a long engagement, Liv. I just…I wanted to make sure you knew for certain that you would always be a part of my life. Never letting you go.

Liv: I mean, I don't care about that. [long engagements, she means] I'd go down with you to the courthouse tomorrow and get it done. [it's a formality, really. She's not going anywhere, and while she's aware that a ceremony and a dress are things she's supposed to want, she doesn't particularly care. She thinks his family might though.]

Hal: Pretty sure Mom would kill me. [Rebecca has been planning the reception in her head, hoping they ask her for help]

Liv: Do you think if we just let her plan it all herself she will?

Hal: Um, yeah. Seeing that she has all boys, I think she would be honored to do it. But that also means we have to do what she says.

Liv: I mean, as long as she doesn't go too nuts, I honestly don't care.

Hal: Then we'll give her the good news later.

Ben: [since the couple went silent, he's going to text Michael] You know there's no pressure on you, Mikey. RIght?

Liv: [nods] Much later. [and she's just going to lean in to kiss him for another round of celebrating]

Michael: Yeah, I know. I was mostly teasing.

Ben: Which, btw, you know you're my best man.

Michael: Obviously. Have you guys started planning yet?

Ben: We've asked Buffy to help since she's the party planner. I've got no clue what goes into a wedding.

Michael: I'm sure Buffy is happy to put all that Type-A energy somewhere.

Ben: Tell me about it. I need a nap every thanksgiving after we get home because she sucks all my energy away.

Michael: Are you sure it's not all the food?

Ben: Nope. Totally Buffy.

Michael: Uh-huh. Well, let me know if you need me to do anything. I'm here to help.

Ben: Well, you get to plan a bachelor party. And come help me figure out what to wear. [because he's hopeless at wearing anything beyond jeans and t-shirts]

Michael: [and you think he is better? Don't worry Ben, that's what your future mother-in-law is for, but you haven't met her yet] Bachelor party at least I can do.

Ben: I have high expectations.

Michael: I'm sure you do.

Ben: So how was your Christmas with Molly?

Michael: It was good. Kyle really liked all his presents.

Ben: Cool.

Michael: How about you guys?

Ben: Good. Spent the morning at home, then bounced around for lunch and dinner between the Hale-Summers family and the Stilinski family.

Michael: Good. And everyone there is good?

Ben: Yup. I mean, there's a feeling that we're in a calm before the next storm.

Michael: Probably because we are. You know they're planning to go after Michael once Sam gets back, right?

Ben: No. Damnit. Do I need to come back down to help?

Michael: That's up to you. I know Dean's been making some calls so we'll have hands on deck.

Ben: Just as long as he hasn't gained the ability to force himself into a vessel. [because that's a fear he's talked with Dean about.]

Michael: I don't know, man. Cas seems to think no, but I also think that depends on whether or not you've already given permission.

Ben: And I'm somewhere in between, since I never let Michael in, but I let him imbue me with part of his grace to be able to go against Lucifer. [chuckles]

Michael: It's your choice. I was thinking more specifically to this version of Michael.

Ben: Yeah, and Dean said he'd kill me if I threw my life away taking Michael in to save him. Or something like that.

Michael: Are you planning to?

Ben: I was. But not now, not after proposing. I'm planning on really committing to a future here.

Michael: Good. Then don't and everything should be fine.

Ben: Fingers crossed.

Michael: I'll keep you posted with any updates.

Ben: And if you need me, don't hesitate.

Michael: Yeah, if we need you, we'll call.

Ben: Good. [because he will get pissed if they keep him on the bench just to keep him safe]

Michael: [no, Michael will call. It just might be ... too late, but he'll let him know what's going on]

Ben: [damnit Mikey]

Michael: [look, they had a good plan! Until it wasn't]

Ben: [and maybe it would have worked if you called your cousin in]

Michael: [well we'll have to see when we rewatch that episode because I don't exactly remember where things went wrong. though I feel like it was in multiple places]

Ben: [true.]

Michael: [so we shall see]