Oui!

4

And before they knew it, it was 6:00 and the Lumiens were off to the Pelletiennes. Usually, Marc would prefer to arrive at least 30 minutes later than the party starting time, but Madeleine would not allow it. "This is not some meeting, Marc," she had said with her husband sprawled across their bedroom sofa, characteristically bored and uninterested with his wife's current lecture. Just because he was not like he usually was around Madeleine didn't mean he had to abandon all of his character traits. "I'm not late for meetings, I'm allowed to turn up at any time. Besides, like you said, this isn't a meeting, and therefore would be slightly odd to show up immediately." he said, with a small, victory assuring smirk on his face, certain that his love would reply, but it wouldn't be nearly as valid as his point was. "Mais, um-ah well...THIS DOES NOT MATTER! Yasmie is my friend and I will be there in the event that she needs my help!"

And that's how he ended up arriving at Joseph Pelletienne's house at 6:09. Considering that this was very much before the time he intended to arrive, this was going to be a very funny conversation between him and his friend. They didn't arrive in the same cars either, the kids were being taken in one, then Madeleine, then Marc; all in separate cars. Yes, this was going to be very funny, not for him obviously. That was why it was his greatest relief when Maddie's car pulled up. "Marc! Where are the children?" "Pas ici. Not here." Madeleine was close to going into a panic when Marc placed his forefinger on her lips and pointed to the white car pulling up. "There." he said, coolly but not bitterly, and walked into the house. Madeleine didn't know whether to chase after her husband or unstrap her little boy from the car(Jaqueline could handle Marcy, everyone needed Maddie to help with Jack all the time), and she dealt with this decision by thinking about it for a few seconds. She decided it would be best if she helped Jack out of the car before she only had one child left.

As Marc expected, they were the only family here, present and accounted for at this time. "MARC!" Mon Dieu. "Marc, this is very early for you! Or are you not the one who decided the arriving time?" Joseph said, snaking an arm around his neck; he knew the waist would be pushing it. "Obviously not, Joseph," he said with a growl. "Don't be so upset, mon ami, you get to see me!" Marc allowed himself a smile before walking with him. Even if he was annoying, Marc found it nice that Joseph always tried to set his moods on the happy end of the spectrum. Speaking of moods, his wife seemed exceedingly happy but tired at the same time. "Marc, Maddie, hello! I have some refreshments especially made for you; I knew you would come early, but I'm guessing it was to Marc's dismay?" Yasmie said, raising her eyebrows. Why was that funny at all? "Ah, come now Yaya, he doesn't seem to like our joke very much." The two shared a giggle before Yasmie caught sight of Madeleine.

"Maddie! And is that..." Jack appeared from behind his mother's back. "Jack! Is that you? How are you? Would you like a snack? Maybe a cookie?" Madeleine shook her head, much to her son's dismay. "No no, it's fine, he'll be okay, I'm sure of it. He can have a cookie later though." Yamie turned her head down. She spoiled Jack and treated her like he was her own son as well as Damien(of course, out of the two, Damien would always be the more spoiled one), and refused to lose this one to Madeleine. "Hmmm, but later he might die of starvation! At least let him have one." Yaya didn't even wait for an answer, she got the cookie herself. "Eat this one as a starter, and if you're hungry later, I'll give you more, okay? But we have more food if you're hungry!" "Thank you for the cookie tante Yasmie." he said in a subdued voice. The cookie, though full of sugar, stabilised him. Yasmie gave her friend a look of victory. "DAMIEN! Come downstairs, Jack is here! Maggie, come down as well! Adele, you also!" Madeleine smiled weakly at her friend's sense of hospitality. "No, just call Damien down, you musn't bother the children." "Nonsense, they would have to come down anyways." And like that, Adele, Damien and Magdalene all came downstairs, perfectly dress in Pelletienne style. "Good evening, tante Maddie." "Good evening children," answered Maddie, with a smile. Though she hadn't developed a signature one like all her peers had, hers was still memorable. "Off with you children now," said Joseph, his voice signature.

The party had started, and though not completely into time, the music had started playing. In fact, the music was the very thing that made Madeleine have her doubts. This was not the kind of music you would have during a regular run-of-the-mill party. This was a full on orchestra. "That being said, Yaya doesn't quite have a strong range of english vocabulary," thought Madeleine.

Yasmie's thoughts were in other places, obviously. She was too busy worrying about possibilities that weren't even close to ever happening. Damien falling over, her husband's asthma, anything! And it couldn't go wrong, her guests weren't just attendants, they were like news reporters. One slip up and she could go back to how she was at sixteen. That was a time she would never slip back down to, she promised herself that. So everything had to go perfectly. Especially as Mara Te-Lang was walking through the door with her entourage.