#mobmistletoe2020

@delphine-st-clair​

AU

"Why aren't you at Lara's?" "I asked for a day off." "Do you have a date?" "Something like that."

Henry kept a lot of things from his daughter when she was younger. From her mother's problems to what he did for a living, he did his best to protect her from the hard truths she shouldn't trouble herself with. As Valentina got older however, she became smarter, and secrets became harder to hide until she would confront him about them eventually. However, Henry intended to keep this one a little longer.

"Is it someone I know?" "No." "Is it someone Lara knows?" "...No." "Then who is she?"

A surprise. A fucking tornado that upended his life, and he hadn't been the same since. What started as a heated argument turned into a heated hook-up, then another. Whatever struck him to ask her out on an actual date was probably whatever convinced her to say yes. By the time they had realized who the other was, it had been too late -- both of them had been too stubborn to let the other go, even if common sense would dictate otherwise.

"Don't wait up."

By the time Henry managed to get pass his daughter's line of questioning, he was cutting it close. The cabin they agreed to meet at had been two hours away from London, but with the holiday traffic, it had almost taken three. From the soft light on the window, Henry knew Delphine was already there. Quietly, he unlocked the door with his key and entered their hideaway for the evening. Will they always have to hide like this? Before she could notice his presence, Henry took a second to watch her against the light of the fireplace. She deserved better than to be a secret.

"Merry Christmas," Henry made himself known eventually. It wasn't the 25th, but they wouldn't get to spend it together because of his work. This was all they had. "I brought you something."

"Not your problem," Divya had said out loud but caught herself glancing over her shoulder as the door clattered shut. Typically she wouldn't have noticed, but he hadn't fit in, and while she wasn't a massive fan of the Rutherfords, she had morals. if you could even call them that. "Christ sakes." One more shot down, and she slide off the barstool and quickly navigated her way through the bar to the back alleyway. Apparently not quick enough. Try as he might, the poor fuck was getting the shit kicked out of him. 

"Hey," She shouted, causing one of the men to turn and look back in her direction. When he had Divya's fist collided straight with his nose, the familiar sound of it breaking made a smile pull at the corner of her lips. He stumbled, grasping onto the wet brick wall for support. Divya quickly turned on the other two, who stopped holding onto the Rutherford and turned their attention onto her. Divya had made one mistake that caused her to receive a blow to the face, but minutes later, she was standing a few feet from the kid, a dry laugh leaving her lips. 

"You might be pretty, but you sure are stupid."

Mistletoe nomination w/ @makskurylenko  Please note this is an AU Location: London

Flashback

How had she got herself in this mess in the first place? It was a question she had asked herself countless times, but she always found her way back to the same spot.

"I didn't ask for this," He sneered without looking up from the plate in front of him. The hand that held his glass was so white that Divya almost felt compelled to apologize for driving the topic home again.

The sympathy was short-lived.

"You think I did!" She countered, pushing herself up from their kitchen table, hands dropping onto her waist almost to hold herself up. "You think I enjoyed not having a say in whose wife I became....sorry to inform you, Maks but your boss and my boss made for the better of the families."

The last words were so mocking that she could hear her father rolling over in his grave.

Like she had countless times before since their marriage Divya turned sharply and walked away, leaving him with nothing but the sound of her heels against their tiled floor.

Present time 

Hands pressed against the black cocktail dress that hugged her body, brushing away anything that may have taken away from how the dress was. A one of a kind. One that her husband had handmade for her for tonight's festivities.

"We'll have to leave soon," She commented before shifting so that her back was to the master bedroom bathroom. "Would you mind?"

She questioned, casting a glance over her shoulder, eyes flicking down at the unzipped dress that she needed his assistance with while keeping his fingers crossed that they could get through this one evening peacefully.