Jack got a nutcracker for Christmas. There was something about him that left Jack in awe when he first saw it and seeing him standing, smiling, talking, he was more in awe. Now he is throwing himself into a world that needs his help for whatever rea...
"Oh, right. Sorry." They both got up from their chairs. "Thanks for letting us stay Godfather."
"You're welcome, Jack. You both get home safe."
"Yes, Godfather," Allison told him as Jack put his scarf on. "See you both tonight." They both waved and left. Jack sighed quietly as another breeze blew and tightened his scarf a bit. "Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing."
"You ok?" He was quiet for a moment. "Jack?"
"Yeah, I'm ok."
"Is this about that nutcracker?" She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.
"What? No. Not at all." He told her with a headshake. "Really, it's nothing."
"Alright, if you say so. Let's get home before it gets too late."
"Yeah. Let's go." They started walking in silence. He was letting his thoughts wander again. The way Godfather told them the story, it seemed personal to him. He said it so well that Jack had forgotten that he had made it. 'or maybe he didn't... he never actually said he didn't, we just assumed it.' Jack realized this but didn't say it out loud. He didn't want Allison to think he was becoming obsessed with the Nutcracker already. Yes, he loved this nutcracker but he wasn't possessed by it. It wasn't going to consume his every thought after today. He was getting attached to him. 'I can't go and get attached to it. A little kid is probably going to get it for Christmas. Maybe a little girl. Most likely a little girl.' It didn't take them long to get back home, but they were still a bit late. All the lights were on in the house, making it look warm and inviting. The inside was just the same.
"Where have you both been?" Their mother asked.
"Sorry, mum. Godfather had invited us in for a bit and we lost track of time." Jack told her and got a disapproving head shake. "Mrs. Cuppard said thank you for the gifts."
"Get upstairs and get dressed. Hopefully, you will be ready in time to help set out food." They both nodded and went upstairs. Jack and Allison went into their separate rooms and got ready for the party. Jack brushed his hair to the side the best he could before setting his brush down and getting his suit from the closet.
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He looked at it and smiled. He loved the color red, but this made him think back to the Nutcracker, and he sighed. For a moment he rubbed the fabric of his coat. The cotton was rougher than the satin the suit on the nutcracker was made of.
"I'm a grown man. I don't need that nutcracker. I need to get it out of my head." He told himself firmly as he put his suit on his bed and got undressed. The room was silent as he put on the outfit and looked in the mirror. "Jack, you look dashing as always." He told himself as he winked in the mirror before going downstairs to help set out the food. Allison was already downstairs with Susan and Malcolm. "Where is Simon?"
"He is in his room, now help me with this," Malcolm told him as he tried to balance the large turkey. Jack ran and caught the other side and chuckled. "About time."
"Sorry." They both laughed a bit as they got the turkey to the long table and set it down. The table was covered in a baby blue table cloth that had silver candle embroidered around the hem. The candle on the table complimented it, alternating between silver, thin candles that sat on candelabras and thick, dark blue candles that sat in bunches in their own dishes.
"Thanks, now off to the kitchen."
"Do I look like your wife?"
"She is my fiancee and thankfully, no." They laughed while Allison and Susan shook their heads. "Now go on. Find some more food to bring out."
"Sir yes, sir!" He saluted before walking to the kitchen with a smile. He sat down at a table and smiled at the chef, who was practically family. "Hi, Amanda."
"Hey, Sean." She greeted, getting a bit of a disagreeable look from the man. "Oh, my apologies. Hello, 'jack'." She greeted, getting a chuckle. "Finally decided to come to see me?"
"Yep."
"Finally. I was starting to think you didn't like me."
"Never."
"Aww, thank you. You look so handsome. If I wasn't, shamefully, into women I think I would have tried to get you to court me." she told him in a hushed voice. They both laughed quietly as he leaned against the table. "So I heard you stopped by Godfather's house. See anything you like?"
"Well... there was something. It was a nutcracker. It was amazing. He almost looked real!" He told him how the doll looked and the story and he had a bit of a dreamy gaze towards the end. She laughed softly as she shook her head, making him snap out of it. "You talk like he is a real person." An embarrassed blush crossed his face as he averted his gaze.
"I guess I keep forgetting..."
"Well, Godfather can tell a good story to make you forget." He sighed and leaned back on the stool a bit so he was sitting up straight. They were oblivious to the world around them right now. "He makes it easy to love whatever the story is about. Like that little glass swan he gave me that was actually a princess who is forced to be a swan by day but by night she can become a woman again." She let out a sigh, lost in a bit of a reverie.
"I do wish it was real, I would love to meet him..." She chuckled, coming back from her little daydream, as Jack finally slipped off the stool. "I should help. I was late as is."
"Well, there isn't much else. Why don't you take the tray over there?" She pointed to a long tray with different finger foods. Jack went over and plucked it up, still pondering about that Nutcracker, before taking it out to the dining room.
