So... don't call you Mummy and Papa Arryn? No? Okay, fair.

It seemed whatever strange feeling suddenly captured her was infectious, gripping Declan as they embraced, and she was certain that things would have continued on had they both not come to their senses. It seemed they both wished circumstances had been skewed more in their favor as they reluctantly relinquished each other, and she could feel a sense of oneness between them that often struck them, made her just want to curl into him and remain there as long as he would let her.

Since she had met Declan, she had always felt like he was on her team. When she felt like everyone else at work thought her juvenile or tedious, there was Declan who saw passed it all and appreciated her for her upbeat attitude and unstoppable energy. Even at the Yule Ball, it had felt like it was them against the rest of the world. It was so easy to shrink the world to just the two of them.

But today, the world had to make room for two others.

She smiled warmly up at him as he kissed her, but her face changed to one of surprise as he pulled her after. She looked at herself quickly - her hair was barely fixed and her jeans were still pink. She twirled her wand, thinking it best to change her pants to a more acceptable blue, but that would certainly imply to the muggle Arryn's that she kept clothes over at Declan's. And she wasn't sure she wanted to reveal everything just yet.

Dom followed Declan, holding tight to his hand but pulling on a relaxed smile. Why was she so worried? She had spent her whole life being the black sheep of her own family? Surely she could survive this?

Right. She was allowed to hex her family. No such option here.

She allowed herself to be guided to the counter, and accepted the wine Declan offered - she needed a good shot of vodka, really, but she supposed this would do. She sipped it, watching Declan and trying to look as comfortable and adult as she could... while wearing pink jeans.

Declan's mother addressed her and she tried not to choke on her drink as she finished drinking, lowering the glass. "Um, it's one of those fast-track muggle culinary school chains that pop up everywhere. But I did some research into the one I am going to and my teacher has a Michelin star, so that's pretty exciting." She spoke as deliberately as possible, trying not to get another taste of her foot.

Declan also came to her rescue, elevating her humble claims with her newly realized dreams and she smiled over at him, before following the back and forth between parents and son. She suppressed a laugh at Neil's words, but it still came out in a small titter. "That's really amazing! I mean, that's a huge credit to your abilities. If I've learned anything yet about being a chef it's that you're constantly having to prove yourself. You never really get to just coast on your reputation. It's hard work, start to finish."

Wow. She was actually.. doing well?

Sadie gave a quiet hum, and Declan smiled to himself, looking down at the cucumber he was slicing into circles to go on the salad. That would do, apparently. Good. Perhaps his mother would calm down and loosen up a bit. She tended to become very tense when she was around new people - particularly those that had the potential to upset one of her boys. But Declan looked entirely relaxed, and after two years of a reserved, stiff man, he had become an image of his former self.

She watched as Dom spoke up again, drawing his attention more fully that time. Although she pretended to be offering the blonde her entire focus, she could see, out of the corner of her eye, when an impressed, adoring smile pulled at his cheeks.

"Dec!" Neil burst out mid-way through Dom's comments.

Declan jumped, glancing down in time to save his fingers, but stopped his work so he could look over at Dom again, that smile stuck in place.

"I'm sorry," Sadie said finally, lowering her glass to the counter and looking between the two of them quite seriously. For a woman in her early sixties, she could still be quite intimidating. She had interrupted her husband, who was about to comment on something similar - that it was harder for a man his age to keep control of the young upstarts. Sarcastic old-man voice included. "But what, exactly, is going on between you? Are you.. together? Or?"

"No, ma," he replied, shaking his head as he turned back to cut the last three slices. Picking up a towel, he left them for his father and wiped off his hands, checking briefly for any injury, just in case. "We aren't. She's got a lot going on right now, and with what happened before-" He glanced at Dom, informing his parents that she knew, which was shocking in itself. "-it doesn't quite make sense.

"But she knows I-," he faltered, trying to find a word for it, his lips flattening into a line for a moment. "She knows I don't want anybody else."

That would do. The smile returned, though more faintly than before. Sadie didn't look entirely comfortable, which Declan understood. But she was here, wasn't she? Meeting them? And acting perfectly clever and rational and lovely, regardless of the pink trousers.

Neil, on the other hand, didn't seem as concerned. "Starting a career is a big step, and takes a lot of focus. Declan was entirely impossible to reach when he first took over at the Leaky."

"Hard to live up to you two," Declan pointed out, though he sounded quite good-natured about it.

"Someday, someone will say that about you if you work hard enough," his father returned. "Both of you."

Neil calling out to Declan caught her attention as well and she was able to get a glimpse at the look on his face before he went back to his cucumbers. Before she could miss the expression, a tamer one returned to his face as she felt her neck turn pink at his apparent adoration, her eyes darting down to fiddle with the wine glass, trying not to take on the appearance of a dithering schoolgirl when she had focused her energies so keenly on proving her maturity to his mother.

She cleared her throat and tried to avoid Declan's eyes... but that stupid smile was back on his face, the arse. She widened her eyes at him, pursing her lips to hide the smile. Stooop!

But of course, she didn't really want him to.

His mother spoke and the spell broke. There it was. That question. That question that Dom could usually say It's none of your business really and leave it at that, but she was finally in a situation where she could not say it. (Though she would have felt exceedingly comfortable saying it to her own parents).

But Declan was on it, leaving Dom to grit her teeth in an awkward, apologetic smile, something akin to the smile a beauty queen might flash after knocking down her competitor.

With Declan finished and his mother unappeased, part of her wanted to gush everything - that she was impulsive and flighty, that she really liked Declan and didn't want to screw it up, that after Danica she barely trusted herself not to wreck him but had finally given in and had no intentions of hurting him ever... But that was all a lot for date number one, she guessed.

So sounding a little strained and like she would rather Declan chopped off her finger than address this particular elephant, she said, "I just want us to do it right."

Why did she use the word do.

Neil was already speaking again, though, and Dom could have kissed him - which would probably make Sadie even more unfriendly. She felt her shoulders relax as she fervently nodded her agreement to the statement. Her eyes darted to Neil and then to Declan, feeling much happier indeed. There was a swelling in her chest that she took as a good sign. She felt good. She felt brave.

"I," she said, looking triumphant. "I have some champagne. I recently went to France and usually champagne just gives me a horrible headache, but this stuff is top-notch, great year, best I ever had. It was my first day, you guys are in town- I think I left a bottle of it here, Dec, should we?"

Dom had indeed left a bottle in his cupboard, and although he was slightly ashamed to put his alcohol collection on display, neither parent commented and he figured they were just glad that most of them were unopened. So Sadie asked Dom to help her set the table, Neil popped the cork and managed to keep it from flying across the room somehow. The extra place was set up for Dom, of course, right next to Declan and across from his parents. Perhaps he should have invested in a round dinner table.

Either way, things went a great deal more smoothly after those big questions had been asked, those scary topics breached. He even relaxed enough to throw an arm across the back of her chair once they lapsed into post-dinner talking. Eventually, his mother started yawning and his father claimed that he wanted to do some reading to help him fall asleep.

Declan caught the look that he was sent, though, as his father closed the door to the bedroom. He wanted to give Declan the chance to talk to Dom about what had happened, and the younger man was grateful.

So he cleaned things up and turned to look at her before casting a silencing spell on the doorway. It wouldn't be any good if they had to whisper their discussion, even if he thought they would be pretty alright this time. Then again, he didn't usually anticipate arguments between himself and Dom, and somehow they happened quite often.

"That went... eerily well. Who are you, and what have you done with my Dom?" He asked, face serious although he didn't mean it.

Crossing the kitchen, Declan leaned against the end of the counter and waited to hear what she thought about it while he finished off his drink.

And then they tucked in. Dinner was served, champagne was shared, and all seemed to be in accordance. The dinner the Arryn men made was heavenly, and it was generally agreed upon that the champagne was exquisite, much to Dom's pride. The topics varied but tended to come back to the shared interest they had all found, as Dom detailed her trip abroad and all the fine foods she had sampled, asking Neil for his food philosophies, even managing to brave asking Sadie questions without looking too terrified.

And so she began on clearing the table as Declan spoke to his parents, humming patiently, happy to oblige and contribute in any way she could. It was decided that a book before bed was the thing for them and she bade them good night and good meeting them.

Dishes were cleared away and then it was the two adults who had basically been clawing at each other just an hour or so earlier staring at each other, almost looking exhausted from the relief of this meeting now being in the past.

When Declan spoke, she cracked the smile that he was withholding from her and she swooped in, grabbing his sides as she hunched down, gritting her teeth into an excited expression. "I know, right?!" she half hissed, half giggled. She shook her shoulders in the weirdest dance of all time and released him, drawing herself up and brushing her shoulders. "Look at me, with my grown-up conversation pieces!"