Welcome to the Family (Ally)

[Luke Martin]

Christmas. This was actually Luke's favourite time of year, mostly because he was a family guy, and this time of year was all about coming together as a family and having fun together. This Christmas was different, however, because he was introducing someone new into his family: Ally. They'd been together for six months now, and the thought boggled his mind - it really didn't feel like it had been that long since she'd first walked in on him in the gym that day. They'd been through so much together already, it was crazy. They were also closing in on having the longest relationship that Luke had ever been in, which was a feat in itself. But then, he had never loved anyone like this before. And that was going to be clear for his family to see as soon as they walked through the door.

Luke and Ally were supposed to be staying for a few days; arriving for the party his Mom was throwing, then hanging around after so Luke could show Ally the sights, and so his Mom and Georgie could fawn over her (no doubt). The spare room was being taken by Georgie and a couple of her friends who were staying the night, and his room was too small (and, huh, too embarrassing) for them to sleep in, so they were relegated to a spare double mattress in the annex - with his Mom's sincerest apologies. It didn't really matter, as long as they had somewhere to sleep. They’d get to move into the bedroom after the first night anyway.

The taxi pulled up and Luke clambered out, glancing up at the house as he held the door open for Ally, his bag and hers slung over his shoulder. She was still healing, so he was going to be extra careful the whole time they were here, probably more so than he had been the past couple of months.

The house was exactly the same as when he was last here, except for maybe some new plants on the upper veranda. Ally hadn't even managed to get out of the cab before there was an almighty cry of, "they're here!!" Walking around the side of the cab, Luke saw Georgie bolt through the front door, down the stairs, and across the path before leaping into his arms. He let out a fake cry of terror, pretending to drop her before catching her, spinning her round once. "I've been attacked by a gangly ball of limbs!"

"I'm a cling-on you fool!" she tugged his ear, "and I'm never letting go. Never, ever."

"Sure, sure," he nodded, "I'm pretty sure you'll scarper as soon as I mention the word 'toilet'."

"Pfft, Luke," she said, "ew."

Turning with Georgie still attached, he looked round at Ally. "Ally, if you hadn't already guessed, this is Georgie. Georgie, Ally."

"Ooh, put me down!" Georgie said excitedly, and he did so, dropping her to the floor. ”Don’t...” but it was too late. She immediately went over and hugged Ally a little over-zealously, probably crushing her sore ribs. "I've been dying to meet you for like a month now. Welcome to the house of crazy," she beamed.

[Alliana Porter]

Ally couldn't hide the huge grin on her face. Christmas used to be her least favourite holiday because of her wrecked family, but now she was practically overflowing from all the giddiness. It wasn't just Christmas, it was Christmas with Luke. Not to mention, he was bringing her HOME, not just home, but home to meet his parents, his family. No one had ever been that serious about her, or ever even cared that much. Then again, she had never been so in love. Ally bit her lip adorably as the drove and turned over to him, grinning again like a wide eyed fool.

When the taxi stopped,Ally leaned over him to get a view of his home. Almost automatically, her jaw dropped in amazement. He lived here? The place was..amazing, and that was just the outside. With a permanent smile, she pulled the latch on the door and rested her elbows on top of the cab, simply staring at it. "Luke this.....this is incredible." As Luke took her bag, she walked around to be by his side, pushing up on her toes gently to peck him on the cheek. "Thank you." she whispered softly in his ear. He would know what it was for.

The silence didn't last long as a bolt of colour and curls ran, leaping into Luke's arms. Other than their future, this was probably the most adorable thing she had ever seen. Georgie already had her heart. "It's nice to meet you o." Ally purred in her thick accent. The happiness didn't last long however. In seconds, the young girl's arms were tight around Ally's still sore ribs. It had only been a month and they were still healing. Ally winced a little, clenching her jaw at the slow ache that had returned with the pressure. "I...I'm really...glad to meet you too." she choked a little with her words, but managed a sincere smile in return. She really was happy to be here.

[Luke Martin]

Luke physically cringed as Georgie attacked Ally. "Be careful," he told his youngest sister, he could have sworn he'd told his Mom that Ally had been hurt and that they were to be gentle. Georgie, in her excitement, had probably forgotten already. "Oh my God," Georgie gasped, quickly letting her go, "I'm such a doofus, I forgot! I'm sorry!" She facepalmed, "I swear I'll make it up to you later," she said, "in fact, me and my friends will sprawl out in the annex, and you guys can have the spare room. There, that's better already, right?"

Luke couldn't help but chuckle at Georgie, she had such a good heart. Even though she was the baby of the family, she certainly wasn't spoilt, a testament to his parents. Taking a moment to glance back up at the house, he saw Jen's face appear in one of the top windows, he waved to her, and she waved back with a calm smile on her face, no doubt he'd see her in a minute. Then someone else emerged from the front door onto the front veranda, her arms already outstretched. "Hey you," his Mom said, her eyes shining, "get up here."

Casting a quick glance back at Ally to see that she was okay with Georgie for the moment, he called, "yes ma'am." Dropping the bags on the pavement, he'd have to come back for them in a moment, and he sprinted up the path, taking the stairs two by two before sweeping the woman up in his arms like she wanted him to. She let out a cry and a laugh, then tugged his ear as he set her back down. "Don't you know better than to excite an old woman like that?" she teased him, patting his cheek affectionately. "Apparently not," he grinned back. The smile faded from her face somewhat, and she brought him down to her level so she could give him a kiss on the head, "missed you boy." "Missed you too Mom."

Deciding that taking Ally's hand was probably fairly safe, Georgie did so, tugging her gently, "come on, Mom's been wanting to meet you just as much as I have." Georgie had the least strong Australian accent out of the family, only tiny hints here and there seeing as she mostly grew up in America. "She loves you already."

[Alliana Porter]

Ally smiled softly and squeezed Georgie back, gently of course. She hadn't known her well enough to judge, but it was obvious the girl had a big heart. "No..no, it's fine. No worries, small ache." Ally closed her eyes for a moment. before she let go, enjoying the feeling of being loved for once. When Georgie offered to give up the spare room, she looked over towards Luke. They hadn't exactly shared a bed more than a few times. Twice when they had consummated their love, and another during a breakdown. Not that anyone else knew but them anyway. They weren't engaged, so the thought of them actually sleeping together, seemed almost...awkward and inappropriate. However, she wouldn't complain. The Martins had opened up their home to her and were willing to accept her into the family when the time came, and the least she could do was respect their every wish and not ask for anything more than she was given.

She watched Luke turn to his mother with a genuine smile. He was the perfect man. He loved his sisters, and loved his mother. And now...she was the 'other' woman. Impressions meant everything now. There was much seriousness sin brining a woman home. She almost felt a small tear build in the corner of her eye as she watched them together. Georgie snapped her out of her moment, tugging her hand a little to bring her to Luke's mother. Her breath hitched nervously in her throat as she rose her grey gaze to the fabulous Mrs. Martin. She was a lovely woman with kind eyes and a welcoming smile. Still...she was his mother.

[Luke Martin]

There was something in the way his Mom had kissed him like that, that suggested that there was something more than just missing him behind it, but he wasn't about to question her about it now. The chances were he was reading onto her actions things that were silly or just didn't exist. "Where's this girl of yours then, hmmm? You did remember to bring her, didn't you?" she teased him, patting him on the arm. "Of course I did, she one number one on the list to pack, just so I wouldn't forget," he smirked, looking back towards the cab. He had been about to hurry down and bring Ally up himself, but Georgie was already doing that for him, obviously still excited, despite her faux pas.

Ally ascended the steps with Georgie, and Luke grinned. She looked like she did when she was nervous about something, he was surprised she hadn't started biting her lip yet. "I'm not going to bite, I promise," Andee said, waving the woman over, taking her hands in hers, "well, aren't you gorgeous," she smiled, pulling Ally into a gentle hug, "welcome, sweetheart, we're all very excited to have you here. As, no doubt, our little jack-in-the-box has already told you." She pulled away, "if there's anything you need while you're here, don't hesitate to ask."

"You guys head on inside," Luke said, "I'll go grab the bags." He pressed a kiss against the side of Ally's head as he jogged back down to get their stuff, he wasn't even trying to hide how excited he was at being home. "Everyone else is around the back," Georgie bounced, "come on, I can be your guide, introduce you to everyone. Don't worry about names, they're all easily forgettable, and I promise past the first greetings, no one will call each other by name anyway." With that, she began ushering Ally inside, determined to make up for that first blunder any way she could.

[Alliana Porter]

Ally chuckled lightly as Georgie pulled her eagerly up the stairs to meet his mother. The woman radiated her inner beauty, straight to her skin. She looked damn good for her age. Something else sparked in her eyes but it wasn't her place to ask. Whatever it was, it was personal and she stayed far away from that right now.

Ally smiled warmly as Andee pulled her into a hug. It had been years since her mother had hugged her, or even considered it. She couldn't help but blush as she called her gorgeous. She didn't want to let go. The love felt alone by a simple hug, almost brought her into a mess of tears. That wouldn't make the greatest impression either -pooling into a pathetic mess of wet tears just over a hug. Her hard shell didn't even exist anymore, but she didn't want to appear as total mush. Ally smiled again as Andee pulled away. She was such a charming woman. Now she knew where Luke got it from. "Thank You Mrs. Martin. You're such a blessing."

Luke turned to go grab the bags and kissed her softly. She gave another grin, shaking her head lightly as she turned her head to watch him grab the bags. The love was definitely in her eyes. Georgie snapped her out of it again, dragging her eagerly inside the house.

[Luke Martin]

"Well, I do declare," Andee said to Ally with a wide smile, "you do know how to make a woman blush. And please, call me Andee." She watched as her youngest dragged the young woman inside, and chuckled softly, clutching a closed fist to her chest. It was clear to see already how much her son loved this woman, and vice versa. On first impression, she seemed sweet and polite, no doubt they would tease more of her personality out of her when there wasn't so much family around. She was probably overwhelmed, and she'd only met two Martins so far. Luke bounded back up to join her, both of the bags slung over his strong shoulders. "Ah my young gentleman, it appears you have chosen wisely."

"Thank you wise Yoda." That earned him a hard punch in the arm, and he merely laughed, letting her head inside first as he followed.

"So this is the young lady who caught my son's undivided attention," Jonathan rumbled as both George and a dark haired woman entered the living area. He offered her a hand, "pleasure to meet you." He was probably the calmest of the lot, and towered above both of the girls at the height of 6'4".

Luke entered soon after, heading upstairs to drop the bags off. Seeing as Georgie had relinquished her rights to the spare room, he placed the bags in there, turning back round to head downstairs, only to find a familiar blonde standing in the doorway. "Hello stranger," her lips pursed themselves into a thin smile. "Right back at'cha," he said, walking over, "are you getting too old for hugs?" "I'd say no, but that won't stop you." He grinned. "True." She didn't squirm away from the hug, in fact, she pushed up onto her toes in order to wrap her arms around the back of his neck, and held on for longer than he'd expected. "You okay?" he asked, pulling away. "Yeah, fine." "Good, because you're coming with me to meet Ally." He seized her hand, making sure she couldn't escape, before leading her downstairs.

[Alliana Porter]

Addy smiled warmly back at Andee as Georgie pulled her in and through the door. Georgie stopped her right in front of a large, tall man with a booming voice. He also looked righteously good for his age. The good genes definitely ran in his family. Ally couldn't help but blush again, extending a hand to shake. The pleasure's all mine." His father seemd a strong, level headed man that lead his family with compassion. Another trait Luke probably inherited. He was such an amazing man with an incredible family, and often couldn't believe how much he loved her.

She gave a small giggle and turned back to Georgie. She loved that Luke's younger sister was already taken to her, and couldn't wait to see their friendship bloom. There would be many slumber parties and sleepless nights to come in the future between the two of them, she could feel it. But...didn't Luke have two sisters? Jenn was around somewhere, it was probably where Luke had gone off to. She already felt so at home her.

[Luke Martin]

Having been practically carried down the stairs by her older brother, Jen was made to stand at the bottom of the stairs, staring right at the new addition to their family unit: Alliana, her brother's girlfriend. He must have been serious about her to have brought her home, he'd never done that before, ever. But instead of that being a good thing to her eyes, it made her all the more protective, because if he really loved her, then there was a real chance that this Ally could hurt him, and she had to be the one to make sure that didn't happen. "Hey," she said, raising a hand in greeting to Ally. She wasn't in any mood to be excitable like George clearly was, she'd just leave them to it. So, after mustering a smile, she allowed herself to be pulled away from the group by two of her younger cousins, asking her to teach them to play the guitar in the lounge.

Luke side-stepped back into his position by Ally's side - Jen's greeting could have gone better, but it could have been worse as well. "Don't mind Jen," Georgie piped up from Ally's other side, reclaiming Ally's hand, "the ice queen will thaw out as the weekend goes on, right Luke?" "Right," he nodded, offering Ally a smile. He had warned Ally that Jen would be the least receptive one to her arrival, but she would warm up to her in time - maybe even to the point where the two girls were fighting for her attention. "Come on," Georgie said, tugging Ally's hand, "let's get all the meetings out of the way first, then we can eat." "Ahh, don't mention food," Luke complained, his stomach grumbling. "Too late."

As Georgie scampered off, gesturing for them to follow her, Luke held Ally back a bit, there wasn't any real need to hurry. "How you doing so far?" he asked, "doing okay?" He knew how overwhelming his family could be to outsiders. Ally was the only one that he, personally, had subjected to them, but he'd seen a couple of Jen's boyfriends go up in smoke minutes after stepping into the house.

[Alliana Porter]

Ally gave a faint warm smile to Jen as she forced her greetings. She had dealt those moments as well. Forcing out emotion, caring, when all she wanted to do was haul up in her room, full of spite and thought. All Ally could do was put on her best face and attempt to be friendly to the girl. If Jen saw that Ally was no threat, maybe things would go easier. She loved Luke just as much as Jen did.

She gave a short chuckle as Georgie and Luke discussed food, and brought up Jen's hostility. She was a lot like her when she was younger, but things...people had changed her, primarily the one who had brought her home for Christmas. Georgie pulled a little, attempting to pull her further to drown in the family, but thankfully, Luke kept her with him. They had one...brief moment together for once.

With a soft smirk, she wrapped her arms around his neck, looking into those beautiful sparkling eyes. "I'm good..overwhelmed but good....It's a great feeling. I love your family." She shook her head a little, sensing her uncomfortable feelings with Jen. "And don't worry about Jen, I used to be the same way. You're her brother..and I'm suddenly the 'other' woman." Ally chuckled lightly and pushed up on her toes to kiss him gently. 'I love you."

[Luke Martin]

Georgie had a habit of getting a little too carried away - tended to bounce through things at hyperspeed then had to find something else to do afterwards. Now that Luke had sorted their bags and said his hellos, he would make sure Georgie took things a little more gently. "It'll get easier," he promised, "we sort of tossed you in the deep end, but soon you'll be swimming." It was certainly a big leap going from being disowned by one family of three to being loved by a family of forty plus. He was used to the madness, it would take Ally a while to get used to it - if she wanted to of course. Really, she only had to make peace with four important people, and only one of them was being obstinate.

When Ally pushed up on her toes to kiss him, he of course obliged with a kiss in return, settling his hands on her slender waist. "I love you too." He smirked, and the reason why soon became apparent. "Ew!" shrieked one of his younger cousins with long fair hair that shrouded his eyes in shadow, "get a room!" Jen, who had a tight hold on the four year old sibling of the boy slapped him across the top of his head. "Don't be rude." "You know what happens if you're rude, don't you Micah," Luke said. "Sorry. I want my underpants to stay on my butt please." Luke snickered, "you're forgiven."

It was at this moment that Georgie reappeared, "there you are! I swear, I just introduced Aunt Adelaide to thin air. She laughed so hard I thought she was going to have a heart attack or something." She scooted round the back of them and started trying to push them towards the patio door. "This way."

[Alliana Porter]

Ally chuckled and snuggled into his embrace. She smiled through his sweet kiss, savoring his flavor for a little too long. She almost got caught up when his arms wrapped around her waist. She forgot she was whithin a public eye, but Luke's sudden smirk snapped her out of it. Ally turned to the small voice, her cheeks now flushed. She cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her head away from him. A small chuckle escaped her mouth at the small adorable exchange of words. With a soft smiled, she looked back up at him, weaving her fingers with him as she held his hand. She was really beginning to feel like family here.

Georgie was right with them, pushing them before Ally had a word in edgewise. Before she really had a chance to breathe, she was faced with more family. Aunt Adelaide probably. There was so much family here, aunts, uncles and cousins as far as the eye could see. Many of them would fan out soon, save the important ones for christmas day. She was secretly hoping for intimate time with his family. Their opinions were the ones that really mattered.

[Luke Martin]

Georgie was a pretty good guide, interspersing excitable family members with the more sane ones, each of them welcoming Ally into the family like she had been a part of it from the start. It took longer than Luke had originally expected, the afternoon sun beginning to fade. Once they had been round everyone once, Georgie led them over to the table where Jonathan and Andee were sitting. It would be safer for Ally with his parents. Pulling out a seat for her, he said, "I've got to go take care of something," he said, "but I'll be back soon, I promise." He kissed her on the cheek, and eased her into the seat before heading off back towards the house.

Andee, who had her fingers intertwined with her husband's, smiled across at Ally. "I see you made it back with all your limbs in tact," she said, "how's your head? Your ears, they didn't talk them off did they?" Considering she was the oldest of five, and Jonathan had been the middle child of four, they certainly had a large, sprawling family. Luke was the oldest of all his cousins at twenty five, and there were a lot of them. "Little Georgie here certainly knows how to work a room, I don't know where she got it from." Jonathan nudged her and she smirked across at him, before turning her attention back to the dark haired beauty.

[Alliana Porter]

Eventually the meets and greets faded away and Ally was left with his immediate family, the one she had to work so hard at to impress. Georgie was till bubbling with excitement, and she couldn't help but wear a permanent grin now from all the love she had received. It all felt like a dream come true, one she never wanted to, and hoped she never would have to wake up from. Ally blushed like a bright cherry as Luke tenderly sat her down into a chair and kissed her cheek gently. She still wasnt used to being so spoiled and she was pretty sure he was showing her off just because he could. Then again, that was one point of this whole trip anyway.

Ally sucked her bottom lip for a moment, before pulling it out along her teeth slowly. Andee brought Ally's attention back with her comment about the big welcome party. "No, I'm fine. It was overwhelming a bit at first but....but it was nice. " she chuckled lightly, drumming her fingers anxiously against her knees. heaving a small sigh, she brought her gaze back to his parents. They looked so happy together, and still obviously in love. She craved a marriage like that, that would stand the test of time through trials and tribulations. Hopefully that future was with Luke, but who was she to say what their future hold. Just because they shared a dream, didn't mean it was going to happen. The corners of her mouth, slowly smirked into another smile. "Georgie is lovely. She's really helping me get around today."

[Luke Martin]

"That's because I'm awesome," Georgie said with a grin, drawing her hands up to her face, pretending she was some sort of famous celebrity or something, showing herself off. "Watch that blossoming ego of yours, young lady, too much of that and you'll scare all of your fans away," Jonathan chastised her, reaching across to muss up his youngest daughter's hair, who retaliated by batting his hand away and letting out a squeal like giggle.

The loud strum of a G chord caused everyone to fall into silence and drew their attention to the decking, where Luke was now stood, holding his guitar. "Hey everyone. I pretty sure you all remember me, even if I haven't seen some of you in years. It's funny hearing the words 'you've grown so tall!' when I swear I stopped growing when I was eighteen. The guilty people know who they are." He pointed into the crowd of family and they all tittered. "Anyway, the reason I'm standing up here isn't just to look pretty. With the help of the wonderful Jen, I'm going to perform a song for you all." Someone cried 'whoop!' from the back, which made everyone laugh.

Perching on the railing, he rested his guitar across his lap, Jen seated next to him with her own guitar. "This song is dedicated to the dark haired beauty sitting at table one," he smirked, strumming a chord before beginning, Jen joining in.

I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles
And the heavens open every time she smiles
And when I come to her, that's where I belong
I'm running to her like a river's song

She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

She's got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down
And when I come to her when the sun goes down
Take away my trouble, take away my grief
Take away my heartache in the night like a thief

She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

Yes, I need her in the daytime
Yes, I need her in the night
But I want to throw my arms around her
Kiss her an' hug her, kiss her an' hug her tight
Kiss her an' hug her tight, through the night

And when I'm returning from so far away
She gives me some sweet lovin' brighten up my day
It'll make me feel righteous, make me feel whole
Make me feel mellow down into my soul

She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love.