Good Ol' Get-Together

[bookworm10812]

Lisette awoke bright and early on Saturday morning to help her parents out around the Villa for the get together they were going to have. Her parents had invited the Victorias over and she had invited her own friends over, along with the invite extended to their family. She had also owled Mac (without London's knowledge of it) and was glad when he wrote back saying he'd love to attend. She told him he could bring a friend or family member, and he said he would, but he hadn't mentioned whom. Lisette just shrugged it off though and told her parents there would be one 'stranger'.

Victor laughed and said "the more the merrier" but Andrea seemed apprehensive. Still, with the assurance that a few Kale aurors would be in attendance, she didn't mind too much.

By noon everything was set and Lisette was anxious to welcome her friends. She helped her mother with a few baked cookies and made flan, a classic Spanish desert. She also had churros, even though Andrea warned her it was too much sugar. But it was Victor's favorite so he gave her the go ahead.

Lisette was licking off her fingers from the sugar when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Lisette called out, wiping her sugary fingers on her apron and rushing for the door.

She opened it to find the large family of Victorias trailing behind. "Hey!" She greeted, shaking hands and sharing a kiss on the cheek. She pointed them out to the BBQ outside and smiled brightly at Luz.

"Hey!" the girl greeted.

"Hey yourself." Lisette replied, smacking Miguel's hand as he moved towards a churro. "For later Miguel. Behave."

"One won't hurt." He told her, making for it again.

Luz laughed and said "But Liz will hurt you." Just then the doorbell rang again and she rushed for it. "Keep away from the churros." She yelled back at him.

[matt]

Matt was excited when he got the owl about Lisette's get together. He was especially excited when she told him he could bring his younger siblings, as well as a friend. Knowing that Ben and Angelle would be no trouble, he immediately told them of the plans and Ben was quite excited as well. Angelle was too young to understand what they were going to, but she was excited nonetheless. Matt knew that he wanted to invite Phoebe to the BBQ as well, but he wasn't sure how keen she would be on the idea.

A few weeks ago he had asked the girl out and she had enthusiastically agreed to go. A problem came up when she discovered, somehow, that Matt was able to do abnormal things. Matt had no choice but to tell his date about him being a wizard. Phoebe was freaked out at first, but then she decided that the whole situation was just extremely cool, and she promised never to tell anyone.

Deciding just to ask her, Matt finally brought it up and Phoebe was more than happy to go. Her family was large... twelve children... and she was always glad of an excuse to go somewhere that wasn't her house. Matt had laughed when Phoebe had asked with big eyes, "Ya'll have Bar-B-Q's here?" In her smooth Southern accent.

At the moment he was standing at Lisette's door, having just knocked. Ben stood with his hands in his pockets, and Matt held Angelle's hand, making sure the three year old didn't run off after something more interesting. Phoebe stood next to Matt and seemed extremely excited. Then again, why wouldn't she be? It was her first big social event out of her new town, and it was her first wizarding social event.

"Does my hair look okay?" Phoebe asked, brushing at her flawless hair and rubbing her lips together to make sure her lipstick was fine. Matt just grinned and nodded. "Ya look fine." He said and then stopped when the door opened.

"Lisette! Thanks for having us over. If Angelle knocks anything over, it's not my fault." Matt greeted with a cheeky grin, pulling on Angelle's hand as she tried to go chase a butterfly.

[bookworm10812]

Lisette smiled as she opened up the door to see Matt, Ben (a younger-looking version of Matt) and little Angelle. Plus someone she didn't know. She eyed the girl and looked over at Matt meaningfully. As if to say who's-this-you-never-mentioned-her-coming! But she smiled at the four and stepped back to let them in, laughing at Matt's cheeky comment.

"It's ok, I'll get Miguel on the protection spells. He needs to do something other than stand around the churros." She looked back over her shoulder to find him standing a few feet away, wiping sugar off his mouth with his sleeve. She scoffed and shook her head before kneeling down to Angelle's level and giving the younger girl a hug. "You know what Angelle?" She questioned. "You can go ahead and break the present I brought Matt back from Spain. It's shiny and I'm sure it's fragile."

She stood up and smirked at Matt. "I'm Lisette." She introduced herself to the girl. "I don't think we've met before."

Luz came around and smiled at the newcomers. She grinned when she saw the younger child and went back to get a chocolate chip cookie that Andrea had made.

Just then, Andrea emerged from outside and smiled brightly when she saw Matt. "Hello!" She called out to them, walking over to shake each of their hands. "I"m glad you could make it. " She looked over at Lisette and motioned for her to go into the kitchen. "Are you thirsty? Do you want something to drink?"

[London Kale]

London was sound asleep in her bed when suddenly “ARGHHH!” London’s eyes flew open and she snapped up to a sitting position to see Dylan and Stetson at her bedroom door. She groaned and pulled the blankets over her head. Her brothers weren’t having any of that. Stetson grabbed the bundle of blankets that was London and carried her to the bathroom. Dylan helped him put her in the shower with her pajamas still on. Dylan turned on the water and London screamed.

“Sorry, Lon. The BBQ is today.” Stetson laughed, causing London to smack him across the head. Her brothers snickered and left the bathroom. When London finished her shower she got dressed and put her hair in a pony tail. She opened her bedroom door to see Dylan, Stetson, and Jacob. She looked at them, obviously confused.

“Where are the other two?” She asked.

“They have duty today. So they won’t be able to make it.” Jacob called out. Jacob had always been quiet so it was a wonder that he said that much. He would not survive at this outing. He would probably find someone who was a poetry freak and an awesome idealist, like him.

Now, for the first time, London got a good look at Dylan. He looked nicer than he usually dressed. “Alright,” She questioned him with a weird look “Who did you kill?” The other two laughed.

“No one,” he replied back “Can’t a guy dress nice?” And there was no more to say on that. Literally, Dylan wouldn’t let anyone else ask him about it. He signaled that it was time to go when he started walking out the door. London, Stetson, and Jacob followed. They were going to aparate there so Stetson decided to give London a piggy back ride.

With a sigh Dylan put his wand up and with a POP he disappeared. Stetson glanced at London and winked. “Ready?” She nodded and suddenly she felt herself spinning. In a matter of seconds they appeared in front of Lisette’s door. With another POP Jacob was beside them. London reached from her brother’s back and knocked on the door.

“Jacob,” she paused “Be talkative. Stetson: Be awesome and don’t freak out people like last time I took you out. Okay? NO fake deaths. And Dylan: Try not to be weird.” She laughed, causing her to get thumped on the ear by Dylan. She stuck her tongue out at him, which earned her another thump on the ear. “Ow!” she called out.

[matt]

At Lisette's look, Matt gave her a 'you said I could bring a friend' look and grinned at her. Ben smirked at the look the two exchanged and winked at Phoebe, who was also smirking. "Well, I for one am excited to try an English BBQ." Ben stated and dodged Phoebe's swat. Matt stifled his laugh and looked calmly at Lisette, knowing the girl would be a bit confused at Ben's teasing statement.

Angelle looked up at Lisette when she told her that she could break Matt's present from Spain. "Why would I want to do that?" The three year old asked, slightly confused. Matt laughed and shook his head at Lisette. "For shame, Lisette. Encouraging my little sister to break my stuff. Thankfully, she's too well-mannered.... oh, there she goes." Matt trailed off as Angelle broke away and chased after a kitten she saw. Ben caught the girl by the back of her dress and picked her up, making sure she didn't run off again.

When Lisette introduced herself to Phoebe, the brunette smiled and shook her hand. "Phoebe Dupont. I'm new to this whole are... country, and Matt was kind enough to invite me out." She said. "You have a lovely home." Phoebe added, seeing the inside and smiling at Miguel and Luz. Matt smiled and gave Lisette a look that meant 'I like her... isn't she awesome'.

At Andrea's appearance, Matt grinned and stepped inside. "Thanks for having us over." He said, turning around and grabbing Angelle's hand, since Ben had put her down. "Um... I'd like some water, please." He answered Andrea's question, as Phoebe and Ben also asked for water.

[bookworm10812]

"We have butterbeer, you know," She told them, coming back with a few water bottles. She frowned, now confused at Ben's comment. What other BBQ would they have? Unless he was talking about her Spanish heritage. But carne asada was mainly a Mexican thing....She looked over at Matt, confused, as she handed him a water bottle. "What?" She questioned, now handing them over to Ben and Phoebe as well.

She sighed and shook her head at Angelle. Such a sweet, sweet girl. She laughed. "Because Matt's a meanie to me," She informed her. "And I need my revenge. Have you met London yet? I'm sure she'll be the one who can lead you astray." She laughed and looked back at Matt. "I got you an awesome watch made by Eduardo Chillida. Only the best for my friends." She grinned.

"Nice to meet you, Phoebe." Lisette said brightly. "I love your name. Your accent though...I can't place it." She looked over at Matt and caught his eye. A light bulb clicked somewhere in the back of her head. Oh! She smiled knowingly at Matt, but just then heard a commotion at the door. "Excuse me," She said told the four. "I think I hear London and her brothers." She quickly ran to answer the door and opened up to see London on Setson's back. She laughed at the sight.

"Hey guys!" She greeted, stepping back to let them in. "How are you?" She nodded to each and winked at Dylan when he came in. "Hey Dylan," She greeted with a flirtatious smile. "Glad you could make it." She blinked, noticing a few brothers missing. "So...why are there only so few of you?" She asked, attempting at a joke. There could never be few Kales around. Even when it was only four of them, it was more than enough.

Andrea smiled politely at each and motioned to the table. "There's chips, dip, butterbeer, water, punch. Lisette made a few cookies, as well as flan and churros." She glanced at Miguel and laughed before turning back to them. "That is, if my nephew doesn't get to them first."

Lisette groaned and sighed before informing her mother that she'd jinx Miguel if she had to. The older boy smirked and added "Yeah, too bad you can't do magic out of school." He grinned brightly, having just graduated a few months earlier. Lisette stuck out her tongue, but Andrea shook her head. "You know the rules, Liz." She told her simply. Lisette sighed and nodded, before Andrea excused herself, informing them that she'd go make sure Victor didn't burn the house down.

Luz wandered over now and handed Angelle the cookie with a smile and gentle pat on the head. Lisette turned to London and motioned that she wanted to be alone with her for a moment. "I need to show you the scarf." She told her, using it as an excuse.

[London Kale]

London smiled as the door opened, still a little annoyed over the thumping of her ear. “Hey Lisette!” London and Stetson said in unison. Jacob just nodded. When Lisette greeted Dylan he nodded and winked back “Hey Liz.”

London started laughing “Oh, I get it now! You dressed up for Lisette!” Which earned her another thump on the ear. “Watch it!” She got Stetson’s back to get away from Dylan.

Stetson smiled when she asked why only there were a few Kales. “The other two had duty. Somehow Dylan got out of it. I think he really likes you-Hey!” Dylan had just given Stetson a noogie.

As soon as Andrea brought up the food talk Dylan and Stetson stopped rough housing, distracted by the food. London smiled and pushed Jacob in. He looked uncomfortable, but he would find some thing to do. Maybe he would argue with some one...who knew?

London stopped as soon as she saw some girl with Matt. She was about to open her mouth to ask about it but was distracted by Miguel. “Hey,” she warned “She might not be able to do magic but I will help her kick your butt.” London smiled playfully. Lisette then mentioned the scarf and she followed.

[matt]

Matt laughed when Lisette looked confused and he felt that it was only fair to explain it to her. "Phoebe didn't realize that people in England had Barbeque's. She was surprised when she found out, and for some reason Ben found it to be extremely amusing." Matt said, while Ben put on his innocent look and exclaimed, "What! It was funny!" While Phoebe rolled her eyes. "It was a perfectly normal mistake for someone who's only lived in the UK for five months." The brunette girl stated defensively.

At Lisette's explanation, Angelle's eyes widened and she glanced at Matt. "I didn't know he was mean to his fwiends! Why are you fwiends wif him if he is?" The blonde asked, not understanding why exactly Matt was a meanie. Matt tried not to laugh and instead responded to the gift Lisette got for him. "Really? Wow, that was really cool of you. I feel honored." Matt smiled, excited at the prospect of a really nice watch given to him by one of his best friends. Ben rolled his eyes and said in a sarcastic voice, "Ooh, Matt's special." Matt hit the younger boy on the head and responded in a playful voice, "Shut it."

Phoebe laughed at the two Brookes boys and then turned her full attention to Lisette. "Thanks, I love my name too. My little sister always wants it, because for some reason she's not fond of Thelma Lou." Phoebe laughed, knowing how much the thirteen year old didn't like her name. That was why she insisted that everyone call her Lulu. "I'm from the States. Mississippi, actually. That's why I talk funny, or so I'm told." The girl glanced playfully over at Ben and Matt, who both looked completely innocent. Angelle was about to hug Phoebe when Luz approached her with a cookie. The child let out a delighted squeal and hugged Luz. As this was going on, Matt saw London walk in and he waved, but didn't have the opportunity to speak to her or her brothers.

[bookworm10812]

Lisette sighed and nodded, now understanding why it had been so funny. She rolled her eyes at the boys and half-shrugged towards Phoebe's direction. Almost as if she was apologizing for their rude behavior. Her attention turned towards Angelle and she nodded, going to to say "I dunno why I'm friends with him. I keep asking myself that, to be honest. I think it's because he's so cute." She then took the opportunity to pinch Matt's cheeks before getting out of his reach before he could do the same to her.

At Ben's sarcasm, she laughed and turned to him. "I have a few extra stuff. Though they mainly consist of bracelets and other kinds of jewelry. Care to have a look?" She laughed once more but turned her attention to Phoebe. She raised a brow at Thelma Lou though. She knew why her sister envied her name. "Oh, foreigner. Welcome to the UK." She smiled brightly at her.

Luz laughed and hugged Angelle back. Miguel saw it and pretended to choke, which earned him a whack in the back of the head from Lisette. She laughed and smiled back at Dylan. She eyed him up and down and noticed he was dressed up. She laughed at the reaction London received due to her words, but caught Stetson's statement before the brothers got into it. She eyed Dylan out of the corner of her eye and smiled. It felt good to be admired. When London agreed to go, she grabbed her friend by the arm and ran in the direction of the stairs yelling out "Be right back!" To the rest downstairs.

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Dear Mac,
Hey! It's been a while since we've talked properly, hasn't it? Well, let's fix that, shall we? I have a BBQ on Saturday. Guess who'll be there? The lovely, Miss London Kale. ;]

So why don't you come over? You can bring a friend if you'd like. No worries. My Mum makes enough food to feed thousands. Just make sure he's good-looking, kay? Haha, just kidding. But seriously, bring a friend if it makes you feel more comfortable. Anyways, get back to me quick. I like to know what I'm expecting.
-Lisette

He quickly wrote to his best mate, Lan and asked if he could go. Once he said yes, he wrote again to Lisette informing him of who would go. Needless to say, he was excited.

So early Saturday morning, Mac got up and got ready for the BBQ Lisette was throwing at her place. Mind, parents would be in attendance, but he didn't mind much. All he had to hear was that London would be there and his mind was made on attending.

He was grateful for Lisette, hence why he picked a rose from his mother's garden to give to her. Plus, he knew it might make London jealous, but he had something for her as well. Of course, it wasn't something one could just give. But he was sure she'd be immensely satisfied.

He arrived with Lan a little after twelve-thirty. However, when he opened up, he was surprised to find a male open up and not Lisette. He looked strangely familar. "Sorry, is this the Vargas household?" He questioned.

Miguel nodded and said. "Yup. You here for the BBQ?"

Mac nodded. "Yeah, Lisette invited me."

A girl with straight dark hair and pale facial features emerged. Not Lisette. "She's upstairs right now, but she'll be coming down soon." Her voice was unusually soft. She nudged the male and hissed "Move!" The male did so and she stepped aside saying "Please come in." Mac did so, glancing over his shoulder at Lan.

[lan]

Lan had been doing absolutely nothing when he received the Owl from Mac. A BBQ sounded like fun, though he probably wouldn't know anyone there. However, his mother and sisters had been urging him to do more social activities, and just because he wouldn't know most of the guests didn't mean he couldn't have a good time. With this decided, Lan jotted down a quick reply to Mac that said he would meet him at Mac's house before the BBQ.

The day of the BBQ, Lan rolled his eyes at Liesl's excitement and tried to decide what one would wear to a BBQ. Deciding on a denim shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black, low-cut Converses. He ran a brush through his shaggy hair and figured that he looked presentable enough for a casual social get together. Once he, and his mother and sisters, were satisfied with his apparel, Lan grabbed a light jacket and headed over to Mac's house. The fact that Mac had picked a rose amused Lan to a great extent, and he smirked the whole way to Lisette's house. He didn't actually say anything about the gift, but his face was surely enough to drive Mac crazy.

The people who opened the door were surely not Lisette, and Lan wondered where this very hospitable Ravenclaw was. However, the girl at the door seemed very eager for he and Mac to come in, so he just smiled politely and shrugged at Mac's look. "Lan Dawkins. I'm one of Mac's mates and he invited me." Lan introduced himself, feeling that the girl should know that he wasn't just a complete stranger who was tagging along.

[London Kale]

While London was away upstairs, her brothers inhabited the food table. They were tasting everything they could get their hands on. As the door opened they glanced at the two guys that walked in. Stetson smirked. "Hey," he whispered to Dylan and Jacob. "Isn't that the guy we used to pick on. What was his name?Ah! McCullum! And the other one is Dawkins, right? I think I remember that we liked him somewhat."

Dylan also smirked and nodded, tasting some salsa. "Yeah. You think we should go hard on McCullum?" Suddenly he started laughing. "Hey, we should give some of this to London!" He said loud enoug for everyone to hear, even though that wasn't his intention.

Jacob frowned as Dylan and Stetson kept laughing "London hates spicy stuff. She'll kill you if she tastes it. And I'm pretty sure she would kill you again if you mess witht that McCullum guy. He was beater with her, right?"

At that comment Dylan and Stetson frowned. Jacob was right. London was pretty protective of some of the people they picked on. "Wait," Dylan finally spoke "Didn't she say something about liking McCullum?" He could have sworn she mentiond him briefly, if not talked about him too much.

Stetson's eyes widened "She did saying something about him! She called him...Mac..right?" The other two nodded and a smirk came upon all of their faces. They headed over to Mac. Dylan and Stetson put an arm over his shoulder. They started walking awqay from the others. "So? I heard you liked Lon."

((Not that good..but....))

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Mac entered the room and took a look around. There were a few guys by the chips and salsa, and a few were standing around and conversing. Still, he saw no sign of Lisette or of London. He wondered if perhaps London hadn't arrived yet. He turned around to look behind his shoulder at Lan, and saw his smirk. His lips pursued into a frown. He hadn't quit smirking since Mac had told him it was for the hostess, Lisette.

He didn't tell Lan he had something for London as well, lest he get made fun of some more. Lan wasn't doing much except for smirking, but he knew how much that annoyed Mac. Meanwhile, Luz went to choose some music while Miguel decided to make himself useful and bewitch a few drinks. The glasses of water, butterbeer and sangria hovered about in front of the guests. Mac nodded his thanks to Miguel and took a butterbeer, still glancing around for London.

He decided to wander about and told Lan "I'll be right back," before wandering over to the hallway. All of a sudden, he felt himself hauled by two of the older guys in the room. "Uhm, hello." He said, trying to shake them off. At the mention of London though, he stopped. "You know London?" He questioned. "How?"

[London Kale]

Stetson smirked as Mac struggled. This is exactly how he wanted this to start out. First they had to catch his attention. Second, they had to intimidate him. He gave a nod to Dylan and looked back to where Jacob was. Jacob was keeping watch. Suddenly, he felt proud. Jacob, the goody-goody, was making sure London didn’t spoil their plan. Not that it was much of a plan. They were just having fun.

Dylan returned the smirk and the nod. “How do we know London?” he repeated, obviously mocking Mac as if he were a child. They stopped. He didn’t want to walk too far. They would get out of Jacob’s sight and then London could find them easier. Jacob couldn’t cover the whole house. “You could say we are...er,” he looked back at Stetson as he searched for the words “The men in London’s life.”

Stetson almost burst out laughing. This was going to be too easy. “What we’re trying to get at is,” he elongated the word “…If we ever hear that you look at-”

“Think about-” Dylan intervened, knowing that they were both intimidating. Who wouldn’t be scared of two muscular guys who just had to have one of the most combative jobs in the wizarding world?

“Or touch London we will hex you so bad that it’s going to take a hundred years to find all the counter-hexes.” Stetson finished, now looking quite serious and mean. He sort of meant it. Anyone who messed with his baby sister was going to get it.

“But, you know. No pressure or anything.” Dylan laughed. A big, booming laugh that he only used to scare people. This was also bit of a test to them. Anyone who would still go after London after having their little speech had to be one brave lad, and would be worthy of dating their sister. But most guys had not made it past that without chickening out.

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Mac didn't know what the hell was going on, but he was confident that nothing could happen in Lisette's home. Unless she had set him up for something, but he was sure that couldn't be it. No way, no how, right?

When one of them smirked and nodded, he knew what they were doing all at once. C'mon, like he hadn't used that on his sister at home? However, when one of them stated what they 'were', Mac paused. What on earth? They - no. London-. No, she couldn't. She wouldn't. But then again, he didn't know her all too well. They'd only gone on one date. His brows furrowed as he tried to figure her out.

His eyes narrowed at their attempts to intimidate him. He didn't know what to do. Stay away? He shook his head. That wasn't an option for him. When one laughed, his jaw locked. He brushed their hands of his shoulder and looked straight in the eye at the one who had laughed. "Sorry mate," He stated, "But I'm not backing down from her. She's the best thing that's happened to me and I'm not leaving until she says so."