I'm Dreaming of a Wright Christmas(Invite)

There was nothing like the amount of excitement that could be held by a mere eight year old girl in the knowledge that today, yes TODAY was Christmas Day and the most bestest day of the year because there would be lots of pressies and family and even Unchie Nathy and Miss Greta who Daddy had said was coming alllll the way from America to visit. Naturally Abby was very curious, and excited and wanting to know everything about Miss Greta and if she and Unchie Nathy where in love (because one would hardly invite someone to come for Christmas if they're where not someone special) at least in Abby's mind anyway. While her Mum and Dad where still sleeping it was only a matter of time before Abby was to invade their bedroom with squeals of Merry Christmas. But first things first.. running to the back door she unlocked it to allow a ambling mass of fur into the house, with a bark that was then hushed Abby closed the back door and along with her 2nd in command the pair went to inspect the Christmas tree to see if anything had changed since last night.

While Abigail had reached the somewhat conflicted age where she knew enough to have suspicions about the ability of a man in a big red suit to go around to every house in the world to give presents she was polite enough to give the benefit of the doubt that the cookies and glass of milk she put out was in fact drunk and eaten by Santa and not Mum and Dad putting the last touch on the presents, and she'd certainly never have snuck out of bed to hide in the corridor to watch! Now was the hardest bit of Christmas, waiting for Mum and Dad to get up so they could have breakfast and go pick up Nanna for Church before they could open their presents and have lunch. Abby took Otis outside for a game of catch to pass the time and eventually after half a hour her parents emerged, some organising, a trip to Nanna's, Unchie Nathy and Uncle Pwick arriving and Church then it was time to go back to their house for Lunch and for Unchie Nathy and Dad to pick up Miss Greta. Of course Abby wanted to go too! But she was resigned to wait and babysit Unchie Nathy's cat until they got back. After all there was lots to do and Uncle Pwick had lots of funny stories and Mum would need her help in the kitchen so there would be lots to entertain the girl right up until more people arrived and it was time for the Abby Attack of Doom!

Nathan hadn't been thinking much about Christmas, it was just 'there' and came around each year like clockwork. There was a comfortable familiarity of being dragged out shopping by friends, going to Ma's house before Church and then having lunch at Ma or Luke house where they would open presents and hope that this wasn't one of the years that Rick brought a 'date'. Nathan's mind however was 'elsewhere' better known as last Christmas, he couldn't help but worry and fret that this year would be another repeat.. and to make matters worse he really DID like Greta and then Luke had found out and invited her for Christmas and so he had no choice but to hope that she wouldn't be put off by them and not come at all. Nathan had delt with this anxiety in his usual way of getting obsessively deep into his work, he'd managed to book three days in a recording studio at his old University and between that and Spellomatic they'd managed to get a few tracks laid down, not as many as they'd liked (mostly due to too much time wasted having cups of tea and 'talking' about it) but it was done and he had the first few copies of the 'Cosmic Goat E.P.' (nobody could remember how that title had come to be, nor the coverart.. though Marcus and his homebrew had been strongly blamed) of course he'd forgotten to wrap his gifts and so Rebecca and Ma had managed to 'improvise' from the leftovers so that it looked a lot better then just being gifted from a plastic shopping bag.

He'd been staying at Ma's house since coming home from America, nothing much seemed all that different except that each year Abby was a bit bigger and Luke had told him that Rebecca was having a baby. Nathan tried to do the appropriate 'good for you' look but really he just felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought, babies rather freaked him out. Helping Ma make breakfast Nathan was even more quite then usual as he went about the kitchen with growing anxiety as the clock ticked towards the time that Greta would or would not be arriving. He'd gotten her letter but that had just reminded him of the last time he'd got a letter from someone he really liked and cue entire anxious cycle again. He just had to face it that he wasn't cut out for that kind of life, why else would Mel have ended up with someone else and the others where just..gone? Rick had arrived, alone which was a blessing in itself.

Too soon it seemed that Church was over and the rest of the family where free to hang around the house while Luke and he caught a tram to Bourke Street, walking down the cross street to where some of the graffiti was at it's worse. Luke tapped his wand on a bin and the pair of brothers walked though onto Penny Lane, Nathan's concern growing with each step until they where at the Ministry of Magic and waiting for Greta to arrive. Would she be coming? Nathan tried to keep up with his brother's conversation but really all he cared about was if Greta would step out of the fireplace in the arrival's department. Even on Christmas day the Ministry was busy, many Wizards didn't celebrate the holiday and so there was a mixture of people in their usual robes and people who where coming to-and from various celebrations. Nathan waited, and hoped that it wasn't going to be another repeat of last year where he'd ended up having to dodge questions about why he'd come alone. He hated those questions. It felt like forever until there was the quiet 'bing' that marked a incoming floo, Nathan didn't know why he was so nervous, well okay he knew it was because last time he'd invited someone to come to Christmas they'd ended up leaving him not that long after. Beanie couldn't handle that happening again... yes Beanie.. Nathan nodded to himself, this was about the cat wasn't it? No way would it be because he, Nathan Wright, had any thoughts toward Greta beyond that of a friend.. yeah, okay which was why he was in a cold sweat at the thought of her changing her mind and not coming, or not liking the gift he'd found for her, or anything. No Nathan didn't have any feelings of that kind whatsoever, which was why he jumped when the next 'bing' was for them.

"Yes, mum... No, mum.... I'll be sure, mum... No, mum, I don't know if I'll be back in time for dinner at six tomorrow or not.... Yes, I'll definitely be there for dinner Monday night.... Merry Christmas to you, too, Mum. I love you." click.

Greta rolled her eyes and slid the phone into her purse, double checking to make sure her passport was there and the gifts were as well, reducioed to be reversed later when she arrived at the Wrights. You'd think she was going halfway around the world for Christmas the way her mother had taken the news. Okay, yes, well, she was but it was different doing it by Floo network then by Muggle airlines.

All packed, Greta took a deep breath and turned quickly, feeling the familiar pull in her stomach as she apparated from her apartment to the small alley by the Australian Ministry of Magic offices in New York City. Catching her breath, she made her way into the building, showing her passport at the reception desk. Once the visas were verified, she was directed to the appropriate Floo. Taking a handful of green powder from the small clay pot the attendant held, Greta secured her purse on her shoulder, stepped into the Floo and tossed the powder stating her destination. After a period of lurching and shuttling at what seemed rapid speed, she found herself stumbling out of the Floo directly in front of Nathan and his brother, Luke. "Hi, morning, Merry Christmas," she managed to get out smiling at seeing Nathan again.

Luke had started the morning much like any other Christmas morning, listening to Abby sneaking around the house while he laid in bed thinking about life and all it entailed. Soon Abigail would be too old to believe that Santa really was the one eating the food left out and he'd narrowly missed out on catching a certain duo spying on him and Rebecca as they'd put the finishing touches on the pile of gifts under the tree and finished preparing the food that needed to be done the night before Christmas day. Morning had brought Church and vising Ma' who seemed in better health the last few months, Rick had mentioned something about a new herbal blend though Luke couldn't think of exactly what the details where at this point in time, but he trusted Rick when it came to medicine, even if it was probably the only thing he trusted his older brother on. Nathan of course hadn't changed, Luke couldn't help but feel he never would grow up as they left to climb on a tram to the city.

It didn't take a degree in Legilimency to know that something was bothering his brother. While he'd been able to get a bit out of Nathan for the most part his attempts to start a conversation where left hanging as the tram made it's way though the streets, Luke was glad to not have to drive today, the family car was more reserved for day trips to visit friends in the outer suburbs where the trains and tram tracks had not been part of the planning. The city had always been their backyard growing up, Luke knew the grid of the CBD like the back of his hand including more then a few of the 'dead ends' that lead on to the Magical Quarters. It always amused Luke that there was forever being stories run about the 'Graffiti menace' yet nothing was ever done about it, how it had decided that the dingy alleys where the best for keeping Muggles away Luke never knew but he'd always preferred it to Floo and Apperating. Luke would never admit it but he wasn't all that good in confined spaces, and the effect of being 'squeezed' or rushed along countless fireplaces was not something he would rush to experience any time soon when there was other ways to go about it. That and he'd always worried about Nathan ending up at the wrong fireplace, it had happened once when they where kids and it had taken their Dad hours to track him down though the countless Floo connections that crisscrossed the city.

The wait at the Ministry was not nearly as long as Luke had been expecting, when there was a puff of green smoke followed by a certain American young woman Luke stepped forward to offer a hand for her to steady herself "Are you okay?" while behind him Nathan had jumped to his feet only to try and sneak a little behind his brother so as to not look too eager lest it all turn out to be a big disappointment. "Um Hi" Nathan realised he really should have spent his time waiting by thinking of something good to say. Instead he just parroted her words back "eh Merry Christmas.. this is Luke my Brother though I guess you'd know that already.." Nathan was feeling a little defeated by not really knowing what to do now, did they hug? Wasn't Christmas a time for hugging? Certainly he'd seen plenty of people on tv do that but Nathan wasn't sure so instead he just scratched his arm before noticing Luke prompting him to talk "Um how was your trip?" he asked as the attendant came over to check Greta's passport and point them towards the exit. So much for a warm welcome but Nathan didn't feel too concerned, they where probably busy after all.

"Thanks," Greta said as she steadied herself from the long distance Floo trip. "Hi Nathan," she responded to his greeting with a smile and one of her own as well as, once again, repeating her own greeting to Nathan a second time, "Merry Christmas, Nathan." Only this time, she leaned up and kissed him quickly on the cheek, blushing a bit when she did and wondering after the fact if she had upset him by doing so. She hadn't really thought about it before hand, it sort of just happened. "Hi Luke," she greeted his brother as Nathan introduced him, though adding to Nathan, "Well, actually, I know of him, but I've never met him before. Nice to meet you, Luke."

After that, it was the hustle and bustle of magical customs and following the guys out of there and towards home. As she waited for the attendant to finish reviewing hers and stamp the passport, she answered Nathan's question. "I'm not sure. I think I'm still waiting for my mind to catch up with my body!" she exclaimed with a bit of a laugh. "It's the longest Floo trip I've ever taken," Greta admitted as the two led the way out of the entry area.

"Hi.." Nathan was blushing as he exchanged another unnecessary hi. That was the problem with feedback loops, he tended to get stuck in them until someone else happened to break in with something else to say. While Luke brushed off the thanks and offered to take Greta's thinks Nathan was left in a state of acute shock and awe as Greta kissed him. Oh, okay. Nathan looked sheepish, so he guessed they where that sort of friends now? Of course the real thing going though his mind at that moment was relief that his older brother Rick wasn't there to witness the kiss. Because it was going to be hard enough surviving Christmas with him as it was then without adding fuel to the 'Lucky Nathy gets the chicks' rant. Not that Nathan even understood it, after all he'd never really considered himself fortunate at all with the 'picking up' as his brother so crudely called it. While he'd come to a polite avoidance of the women that tended to show up at his gigs he'd always been too polite to ever take advantage of it and was more often and not the one making excuses or slipping out the back door when nobody was looking.

Somehow Greta managed to break all his rules, he had thought that a return to the minimalistic lifestyle of New York would be safe from all the hurt that had followed him around in Melbourne when he'd last returned to his hometown. Then of course he had met Dunena and Greta and everything seemed to have changed, though this time maybe it was for the better? Nathan rather hoped so, he'd never really felt so okay about someone of the opposite sex for a long time, not since Mel and well everyone knew what had happened there. "Oh.. okay.." Nathan said feeling a bit foolish to be corrected, Luke of course was happy and excited to shake hands and compare notes about the various staff at The Global Voice in New York and how they where all faring. Nathan didn't know why Luke was so worried about everything, sure there was a lot more people and police about then he'd remembered and people seemed a lot more angry, but Nathan hadn't felt any of that personally against him and so his friends and family's concern about him getting mixed up in the politics there had left him confused about what the big deal was about.

While Greta was going though customs Nathan felt a sharp elbow from Luke who raised his eyebrows in mock surprise at the whole Greta kissing him thing, Nathan tried to hide the embarrassment, it was almost as bad as being around Marcus but at least he could hope Luke would be kind enough to keep it on the down low until after everyone had gone. "I think it's nicer then Portkeys" Nathan managed to say as Luke made a point of walking ahead of them, Nathan falling into step with Greta couldn't help but notice what she was wearing. "Um.. it's really quite warm outside." he said as way of warning as they stepped out of the lobby and into Penny Lane. It was still morning but already the sun was out in full force. Penny Lane was the oldest street in the city, cobblestones and just enough space for a single car or hose carriage to make it's way though the narrow gap between buildings. Not that anyone really bothered to drive when there was broomsticks and all manner of wizarding transports available. Even on Christmas there was a brisk trade though what the holiday couldn't tire the weather was sure to drive off as most Wizards where making a solid beeline towards the bulk of Matacore's familiar bulk. They of course where heading in the opposite direction towards one of the many alley's that lead back into the Muggle part of the city where the tram lines ran.

"I wonder if old Mr Higgin's still lives over there.." Luke said pointing to one crumbling building as they went past. Nathan shrugged "Dunno.." after all he'd never been as interested in the Wizarding stuff as his brothers, to Nathan it was Music or nothing. "Mr Higgen's used to work with our Dad" Nathan explained to Greta, the reserved expression on his face shared with Luke and the rest of his family when it came to speaking of the dead. Tough Ma' said it was better to speak of them rather then to be forgetting and so Nathan tried to not feel bad and remember the good things, Christmas was a time for being 'jolly' after all. "I think the longest Floo was to Glastonbury wasn't it?" Nathan asked Luke who nodded, "we had to stop by Australia to pick up equipment and some friends so it was a very long one" Nathan didn't even mention all the shuffling back and forth to pick up things someone had forgotten. That had been one long day all right.

Greta was happy to see Nathan again. Work had been really hectic with all of the events going on in the city since that night at the American Ministry of Magic. It was the bits of time she could squeeze in to see Nathan at a club before he had returned to Melbourne that helped her feel relaxed and really give her a break from the tension. As they left the Melbourne Ministry, that same tension seemed to be in the air here as well, not quite the same as back home but it was definitely happening here too. The peoples' revolt some were calling it. No one had really expected it to go on this long but it seemed to have a life of it's own. She mentally shook the thoughts out of her head. This was Christmas. This was a day off. This was a day with Nathan and no way was she going to let work sneak in.

At Nathan's comment, Greta could help but not in agreement. "I think anything is nicer than portkeys. I always feel as if someone is trying to rip my insides out when I have to use one," she admitted. At Nathan's weather warning, Greta remembered the sweater she had put on to get through the colder weather in New York. "Thanks," she said as she slipped off the sweater and put it over her arm, her short sleeve top much more appropriate for the Melbourne summer. She looked at the building Luke pointed to and nodded when Nathan explained the man used to work with his father. "What did they do?" she asked, not knowing much about Nathan's family.

Nathan nodded, though he mentally shuddered at the thought of being ripped apart, it was not a very nice thought at all and Nathan wondered how he'd gone about letting people talk him into taking portkey's if that was ever liable to happen. Nathan didn't realise that Greta was just using it as a example and not a 'likely to happen event'. While he'd become at home somewhat with New York Nathan really did at times miss Melbourne, the familiar rattle of the trams and ding of the bell each stop was as much a part of his childhood as the old faded signs that marked the shops and clubs long gone that had been part of his youth. So much was changing just as the city seemed to be a living thing itself. "Um, no problem?" he replied to Greta before glancing at Luke who was making a big deal of reading a street sign, Nathan took it as a show of support and so tentatively, at any moment willing to back down he offered Greta his hand so she wouldn't get lost. Yes, that was a good excuse, didn't Abby always insist on holding his hand when they went shopping so that she wouldn't get lost? Of course Greta was much bigger then Abby but the principle was the same right?

It was the same old mistake he made every time, Nathan tried not to think about what his family would say or what would happen when something went wrong. Everyone would be kind to him, they'd be sympathetic and he'd have to go though the whole 'she just wasn't right for you' speech yet again. Maybe it was just best to resign to that fate early so that he wouldn't have to worry so much about it later? Nathan was trying to decide what would be worse when Greta asked him a question, he was left floundering for a moment before remembering that they had been talking about his Dad. "Oh um, just Ministry stuff.." Nathan looked to his brother for help, he'd never really thought about what his Dad had done for a living, except that he was gone and everything had gotten harder since.
"Dad was a clerk, Mr Higgens was the head of the Improper Use of Magic Office" Luke explained in Nathan's absence. "Should we take the tram from Swanson or Elizabeth Street?" Nathan asked his brother as he stopped at the devide between the magical part of Melbourne and the rest. "Swanson I think, better views" he said turning around for a moment, "You know our Dad used to play at the pub back there.." Luke said pointing to the last pub on the Magical street, "Real top musician our Dad, Ma too.. well before her hands started giving her trouble."

"Mum was a pianist" Nathan added as Luke opened the wall to let them walk back into the Muggle part of town. "Mum used to teach piano when we where kids, after Dad.. well youknow" he tried to shrug it off, the word 'Died' being one he couldn't quite face lest it bring about horrible consequences. Nathan was a firm believer that words held a kind of power that what you said was sure to happen one day. It was quite nice having Greta along to show the sites of where he'd grown up and important places "That's where Marcus and I used to busk.. it never went very well" Nathan pointed to a bench as they went past. Even the Bourke Street Mall was quieter then usual as they walked to the street corner and stood to wait for the right tram. There was two of them that they could catch but Nathan could never remember the right numbers. Lucky there was Luke who seemed to know much of the inner city like the back of his hand.

Of course, Greta had no idea Nathan was thinking about her comment literally, especially since it was apparating that could result in splinching yourself. She thought no more on it as Nathan offered her his hand and she took it, quite happily. After all, it was safer to hold hands then for her to chance getting lost in Melbourne, right? Right. Of course. Surrrreee. They continued on their way as the talk turned to what Nathan and Luke's father had done as a career. "Improper Use of Magic? I bet he had some interesting cases then," she commented having seen some of the things that can happen with magic just as a reporter. It was as they talked about his being a musician that she really caught up with the conversation. Greta listened and took it all in, seeing why Nathan was so good at music, considering the talent both of his parents had.

Once out of the magical sector, Greta took in all the sights and sounds as they hit her. In some ways, it was a bit familiar, like home but then there were the things that made it a city of it's own, like the sounds of the trams and the accents as she heard people talking around her. As Nathan told her about busking with Marcus, she thought about where she heard the name before and remembered, asking, "Marcus? The one that's in Silencio with you? How bad did it go?"

Strange as it was Nathan had never really known that much about his Dad, except what he'd seen growing up which all felt a life ago, "Oh um no, it was mostly paperwork I think?" Nathan replied wishing there was more to be said, but Dad had always just gone to work, come home and that was that, until he'd gotten sick and spent more time in bed and having healers visiting. "Mr Higgin might have though I guess" shrugging his shoulders he worried that he was coming off too boring and wasn't he supposed to be asking Greata questions too? Nathan didn't know what to ask and just knew that if he did he'd probably say something inappropriate and she'd wind up hating him and writing horrible things about him in the paper for everyone to read.

Instead he found himself having to explain the whole 'Marcus' thing. That was always sure to scare anyone off. "Yeah eh, him.." Nathan admitted "we used to play here a bit back when Silencio was new and youknow mostly the two of us doing covers and stuff" Nathan was just glad that she wasn't asking about some of the reputation Silencio had managed to get in it's early days and just the more innocent matter of their questionable music taste and skills being let loose on a unsuspecting public. "It wasn't too.. bad, just that well we got more money once he put up a sign saying we'd stop when we got twenty bucks then we did for just playing". Proof that not all music careers where made overnight, no matter how much effort was put into playing Anarchy in the UK as loud as possible on a couple of second hand guitars.

Greta walked along with the two Wright Brothers as they told her a bit about their dad. Granted it was very little but it was something and she at least got to hear Nathan talking which was fine with her. As the subject changed to Silencio's early days and his friend, Marcus. The busking sounded like it had been fun though she did her best not to laugh when Nathan explained that putting up a sign saying they'd stop when they raised money did better for them then actually playing for money. "Well, I bet that wouldn't work for raising money now," she told him, smiling as they walked hand in hand. Blinking at the sunlight as they now were in the Muggle part of Melbourne, she asked the brothers, "So what part of the city are we in now?"

"Oh um I dunno?" Nathan replied trying to think of what would happen if they tried busking, certainly Marcus hadn't changed that much over the years. Well okay his hair had and there was all that stuff with Rowan and the School and his family. But as for the band things felt much the same as ever, the music came first and if people liked it that was good, though sometimes Nathan wondered if Marcus didn't like it more when they hated it. One thing about Bourke Street was that it was bright, after New York being home in Australia the city didn't feel nearly as dense or dark, sun reflecting off the skyscrapers and tram tracks that ran though the middle of the closed off street. "Well this is the Bourke Street Mall.. only well it's not really a mall and back before was Penny Lane and now we're on Swanson Street.." before startling at his brother calling out, what was it? Oh their tram was coming! Lucky because it would be a good ten minutes before another and Nathan was never really comfortable with getting on a tram that was too crowded. Alas today he had no choice. Nathan nervously followed his brother, cautious of guiding Greta though the traffic and waiting for her to step up onto the tram before following her, there didn't appear to be many seats.. this caused a dilemma as there also wasn't that many things to hold on to that didn't involve being up close to strangers, plus of course he worried about Greta and if she would fall over because the tram was due to make quite a few sudden stops and starts along the way.. not to mention that sharp turn when it went onto Lygon street. Nathan glanced around and saw other people, this made him more selfconscious to be in a highly enclosed space with a bunch of strangers who might very well be watching him.

At least when he had Beanpole with him there was always a distraction, Beanpole had more then a few times managed to 'pop up' right in the moment when a at least moderately attractive woman happened to board the tram. Nathan always felt rather concerned for the attention, especially the time Rick had been with him and the entire journey had been summed up as 'watching a hot lady stroking his pussy'. Rick had gotten banned from visiting their brother's for a month after saying that one, it hadn't helped that Abby overheard and went to ask her Mum what the big deal was all about later that night.

---

"Nathan?!" Luke called back with a somewhat amused look on his face, this was why he'd suggested they picked up Greta because lord knew Nathan would be bound to end up talking the poor woman on a walking tour of Melbourne and forget that they where supposed to be going to lunch. Waiting for the lovebirds to catch up (oh yes, Luke Wright was on the case and he saw what was happening denial or not) he watched the traffic before waiting for a gap in the cars to walk out and climb abord the tram. "C'mon you two! Honestly you know it's lucky I'm here otherwise Nathan would talk your ear right off?" Luke joked to Greta before swearing slightly at how packed the tram was. No seats, perfect. "So what about your folks Greta?" Luke asked as like all Melburnians he ignored the ticket machines, Christmas was a free travel day, not that it made much of a difference when the machines tended to be broken half the time anyway.

Maybe that was one of the reasons Greta really (really really) liked Nathan, he was so "normal" for someone involved in the music industry as he was. Not that they were normally weird but others she had interviewed who had not done half the things Nathan had, although granted they may have already had a cd released that sold fairly well, were all 'up in your face' about it. Nathan was still not sure they wouldn't make more money if paid to not play then to play. Greta was sure it would be the other way around, herself.

She let Nathan guide her as they followed Luke to the trams and stepped on with no problem. In a way, riding them was rather like the New York Subways with its lurching and stop and go, well except for the free on Christmas Day part. She wondered what it would take to get that going in Manhattan and decided it would have to be an act of God, Merlin and Rhiannon combined to get that to happen. At Luke's question after boarding the tram, she told him about her parents, Horace and Gretchen Greenwich who had chosen to settle and live their lives amongst the Muggles because they were tired of pureblood elitism that seemed to be developing most of the American pureblood wizarding families had settled in this area. Gretchen was a graduate of Salem School for Witches & Wizards in Massachusetts and Horace had attended St. Merlin's Prepatory Wizarding Academy for Wizards on Long Island and that both now worked for the Ministry as clerks. Greta didn't realize how much like Nathan's family hers was but she was learning.

Greta also didn't know about the lurching turn that would be coming up until she found herslelf almost in Nathan's arms unexpectedly, his being where he was next to her keeping her from falling. She looked up and blushed profusely and apologized for almost knocking him over, though she did take her time to actually stop leaning against him. It felt nice. Not that it meant anything, no, nope, not at all.

*breaks away to laugh hysterically*

Nathan had always been more comfortable as a listener then a talker, so as the tram rattled along he listened as Greta and his brother talked, the fact that Greta's parents had worked in the ministry like their Dad was interesting but Nathan guessed that it mustn't have been much of a surprise as every time he'd been to the Ministry there had been lots of people running about doing things that he didn't understand. The sound of her voice was reassuring against the fact that he was on a tram and there was strangers, he'd never liked trams for the fact that they where forever stopping and starting and unlike the trains there seemed little room to breath on a hot crowded day. That and the trains where less likely to make sharp turns or sudden stops. Nathan let the others talked while he looked over the heads of people to see out the windows in order to get a idea of where they where. He'd taken the tram enough time to his brother's house to know all the landmarks as they went past them. Every few streets the tram would stop and the people aboard would change as some got off and others got on, they where one of the later stops and so gradually the tram made it's way out of the built up area and the sky scrapers fell away and the tram made a sharp right turn, Nathan and Luke where both used to this but there was a weight against Nathan that pushed him back against the pole he was leaning on for balance. "Are you um alright?" Nathan asked blushing as Greta apologized for falling against him. Nathan was rather used to being used in such a way so he just mumbled a 'it's okay' and tried not to think about the fact that while Greta had apologized she was still leaning against him which meant that when a few moments later the tram rattled to straighten itself he was forced to steady her so she wouldn't end up falling in the opposite direction this time.

There wasn't really much time to think about what had happened though as the Tram was making it's way ever forward, Nathan didn't need to glance out the window to know they'd be passing the cemetery where his father was buried. It had been tough the first year after he'd gone but somehow everything had numbed over the years, much like how the tram continued to move ever forward, north of the city and into the suburbs as the buildings changed from houses to shopfronts to offices and back again. Nathan felt rather exposed, a head taller then most of the people on the tram and starting to feel rather concerned at the fact that Greta was so close to him, it wouldn't have been so bad if Luke and all those strangers weren't there to see them. Taking a deep breath he reminded himself to relax, the nerves growing with each stop until thankfully it was their stop. The change in the city was striking, a row of shops disappearing into houses and thin street barely wide enough to fit a car. With Luke in front Nathan was left dawdling alongside Greta as they followed though the maze of streets to one house that looked much like any other, nobody would have ever suspected that the Wrights where anything but your ordinary run of the mill family.

Abby had been waiting, oh how she had waited! Ever since Daddy and Unchie Nathy had left she had been forced to follow Mum and Nanna around trying to find out 'facts' about this Miss Greta who was coming for lunch to see if she was really in love with Unchie Nathy. Abby had grown up quite a bit of late and decided that it was important to find out the 'facts' of if people where nice or nasty before deciding to like them or not, after all that was what Santa did and if he made that effort there was no question why Abigail Wright couldn't make her own list of who was naughty and nice and divide her world accordingly. Otis was of course on the nice side, as was Unchie Nathy and her Mummy and Daddy and yes, even Uncle Pwick even though Mummy tended to put him in the naughty corner from time to time. Tired of helping in the kitchen Abby managed to convince Uncle Pwick to take her and Otis to the park which had been fun, even if there wasn't anyone else there because they where probably all at home having their Christmas Lunch and opening their presents. Abby didn't mind waiting though, they'd always had the rule that nobody was allowed to open their pressies until everyone had arrived and while temptation had caught her a few times she'd so far never gone past admiring and trying to guess what was inside her gifts. She didn't want to have them turned into coal after all!

"Uncle Pwick, how come you haven't gotten married yet?" Abby asked as she sat on a swing waiting for Otis to return the ball. Abby had been delighted to hear that Uncle Gerard and Miss Tiff where getting married, it was exciting and in fact much of everything was exciting these days. Laughing as her uncle joked that he hadn't found anyone who could replace her she put her hands up for a lift and was spun giggling even as she thought deeply on how odd her Uncle Pwick had gotten over the years. she hadn't seen him for weeks and it wasn't just because Mummy and him had had a argument, he'd missed out on dinner and her birthday and that was a Big Deal because even though Unchie Nathie had missed her birthday he'd been overseas and that was a good excuse as Mum said. Abby decided that she'd have to ask her Daddy why it was that Uncle Pwick hadn't found the right lady, everyone she knew said that Uncle Pwick knew lots of ladies so really it couldn't be that hard to find the right one would it?

While Mummy and Daddy said she was too old for piggybacks she knew she could get one out of Uncle Pwick who gave the best ones of all because he was so tall! It was too far to be carried all the way home though so she fell back onto her feet and took Otis' lead while Uncle Pwick held her hand. Abby had never understood why people where always mean to Uncle Pwick, it just seemed like he was unlucky and the ladies that came to visit sometimes with him never seemed to like being there. "It's okay, I'm sure you'll find your Princess one day" Abby stated taking extra care to say her 'r' right like Mummy had been teaching her. Most of the time she was too lazy to remember her lessons and certainly as the rounded the corner to their street she sped up in memory that Daddy and Unchie Nathy could be home any moment! Instead it was just Mummy who opened the door and ushered them inside, Abby swallowed her disappointment and went to the kitchen to get a drink, she'd forgotten how warm it had been and Otis was really thirsty too by all the noise he made drinking from his water bowl. She had just finished her drink and was on her way to the toilet when the door opened and that meant one thing! "DADDY!" while she had grown out of the old game of 'attack Daddy' it was Christmas and special so she made a big deal to give him a extra big hug before offering both Unchie Nathie and Miss Greta (who was a lot shorter then Abby had imagined) a hug each before moving aside so they could get though the door and into the loungeroom where everyone else had been waiting. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" she called out shrilly as a bark from the other end of the house marked Otis' own greeting (or just a note of concern at the sudden noise of everyone at the door) yep the celebration had arrived all right!

"Yes, thanks," she responded managing to remain on her feet and not fully leaning on Nathan but not moving quite as far away as before which was a good thing as the train reversed its arc so it could straighten out and continue the journey. Nathan keeping her upright prevented her landing on her rear for which she was again thankful. She rode the rest of the way in silence with the two men and a car full of strangers but didn't feel uncomfortable about it. Soon enough she heard Luke say it was their stop and found herself walking with Nathan once again as Luke seemed to go on ahead, sort of leading the way.

It wasn't too long before Luke directed them to a particular house and the shout of him being called Daddy reverberated through the entryway. Greta grinned and figured out that it had to be his daughter, Abigail who was doing the shouting. Greta returned the girl's unexpected hug and said a quiet hello just before Abigail stepped aside to allow Greta to be thrown to the wolves enter the lounge room where the rest of Nathan's family were gathered with a jubiliant holiday greeting.

Where it not for Greta Nathan might well have fled in the opposite direction from the doorstep, knowing that his family where inside no doubt eagerly anticipating their arrival didn't help his nerves, nor the yelling as Abby arrived to tackle her Dad and each of them in turn. Nathan had already been though this once today but still managed to twitch and barely give the girl a pat on the head before Abby was greeting Greta and talking a million miles a minute at how excited she was to meet her, Nathan edging his way around the excited child until he could sneak a peak around the corner to the loungeroom where the rest of his family where waiting. No he wasn't scared at all! He couldn't help but think of how badly this had gone last time with Rick and all that but it was the first time he'd really brought someone home to meet his family, Mel had never really counted because she'd already met his brother's by the time things became 'official'.

He knew his Mum had never been too pleased to see them break up, she would have been even less impressed to meet some of the women he'd found himself living with since. Greta was different though, Nathan didin't know why but he felt comfortable around her, or at least less awkward. It was nerve wracking to enter a room where you knew both Ma and Rick where in attendance, Luke had always tried to consol him that it wasn't 'that' bad but Nathan couldn't help but worry that Rick would say something horribly offensive and Ma would hate Greta on sight. If only tradition didn't dictate that he had the job to do the introductions. Nathan eyed his feet a moment before mumbling "This is Greta, um that's Ma, Rick and Rebecca" nodding towards Ma sitting in 'her' chair, Rick on the couch and Becca standing by Luke. Abby had disappeared for the moment which was good he guessed. With the introductions finished Nathan watched on in shock as 'small talk happened', was that it? Nathan was about to excuse himself to get a drink when Abby returned declaring it to be time to open the presents. So much for getting to relax, now he had to worry about what she'd think of his gifts, what had at first seemed like a good idea from Marcus to 'keep it secret' had only lasted until he'd accidentally posted a werk message about recording and now it was like there was all this pressure for the 'debut' Silencio record to be good, now Nathan was worrying that Greta wouldn't like it.

Abby was glad that Greta was shorter then Unchie Nathy, sometimes she felt like she was living amongst gents because only her Mum and Nanna where short unlike Uncle Pwick who was really tall and Unchie Nathy too. She used to think that Unchie Nathy was a scarecrow because he was so thin and seemed to walk like one, but she'd changed her mind after the wind had changed and his face hadn't gotten all stuck like? Yes so she was confusing her stories but that was what being young and imaginative was all about. While her Dad gave her a warning look for being forward when she had promised to be 'good' and 'polite' Abby seemed to fail on both accounts as she let go of Greta and skipped down the hallway to go to the toilet. After all it was just people talking and not all that exciting, Abby wanted to hurry up and get to the presents and food. Not everyone was like Mr Sprinkle who got fed all the time no matter how many times Mummy had said not to give him treats lest he get fat. Abby wondered as she sat and thought for a moment if Uncle Pwick had been eating too many treats between meals? He was a bit more chubby since last time they'd seen him as well.

Deciding that when she grew up she'd eat all the treats she wanted, Abby made extra-sure to wash her hands properly before returning to the loungeroom where everyone was talking. That was boring, "Mummy can we open the pwesents now that Greta is here? You promised?" Okay so two r's out of three wasn't that bad.
"Yes, Abigail, you can hand them out but make sure you give one to everyone" Rebecca advised. This was exciting! Abby had never been the offical person to give out the presents before! "Oki!" This required quite a lot of effort Abby discovered as she went searching under the tree for a gift for everyone, even Mr Sprinkle and Unchie Nathy's cat who had emerged from the bedroom to give Greta a smooch in greeting. There was a lot of presents to sort out and it was fun to open them and see what everyone else had got as well. Abby was happy to get a new bike so she could ride to school but felt a bit sad that she couldn't fly to school on a broomstick like a read witch. Only in Penny Lane and a couple of other places like Uncle Marcus' was she allowed to fly, Abby wanted to learn so that she could be really good when she went to Magical school in two years time. While of course she hadn't got her letter yet Mummy had started teaching her the basics so she wouldn't have any 'accidents' in class. It had been one of those 'accidents' that had caused her to change schools in the first place. Who'd have known making Jupiter Jone's hair fall out had been such a big deal?

Were it not for Nathan, Greta might have turned and ran in the opposite direction from the house knowing that the rest of Nathan's family were waiting for them inside. With her hand in his, however, there was not a chance to do so and she was not going to let him down by leaving now. She wondered how he could manage to be so calm about it all, seeming no different then usual. But soon she was inside the door and being greeted by a rather hyper Abigail Wright. "Ah, you must be Luke's daughter," she greeted her with a smile returning the girl's hug, still managing to keep hold of Nathan's hand. She felt a pull as Nathan seemed to be sidling towards a doorway looking inside.

When Greta saw the vision in the room, she debated running, passing out, and clinging to Nathan yelling save me. She wondered what would happen if they immediately expressed dislike of her and hoped she could remember something familiar near the Ministry if she had to apparate back there alone because they told her to leave. She compromised on the above choices by keeping her hand in Nathan's and mentally thinking it as he began naming all the family. "Honored to meet you, Mrs. Wright," she managed to get out without stuttering or shouting considering the thought in her mind at the moment. She added hello to each of the others, adding a thank you to Rebecca for inviting her.

Thankfully, the return of Abby took a bit of attention off of Greta and with Abby's request, she pulled out her packages, returned them to their original size and added them to the pile under the tree for Abby to distribute to the others.

Luke wasn't sure if he should be proud or embarrassed by Abby's greeting of the poor woman, it certainly wasn't about to do her nerves any help but while they had done everything they could to try and ensure things went smoothly he couldn't help but remember his own nerves when it came to introducing Rebecca to the family for the first time. To think that now Abigail was eight it seemed just yesterday that he and Rebecca had started dating, yes okay so Becca had already seen the worst the family had to offer (ala.. one Rick Wright) but the worry that she wouldn't be accepted was always the same regardless. Luke didn't believe in things being perfect but he was proud of what he had and knew himself to be blessed so to speak in having a beautiful wife, a daughter and soon to be a son if all was well. Moving to put a arm around his wife he tried to stay positive, there had been a few 'hiccups' along the way to their aim of 2.5 kids and while he knew that it happened to many parents they had grown less confidant over time as his work and the pressures of raising a daughter while keeping enough money coming in to pay the bills was no less a challenge in itself.

Nodding in encouragement as Nathan went about introductions Luke felt Rebecca's grip on his hand tighten as it came to Rick, who true to form called out "Which Wright?" a wide smirk gesturing to the two Wright women in the room. One was pregnant but the other was no less a force to be reckoned with as she waved a light slap towards her eldest, and least polite son. "Richard Wright, you know fare well which one young Miss Greenwich was talking to" while it wasn't spoken the age old line that meant sitting in the laundry until dinner was done was hanging in the air, grown up, magical or not the rule was that you didn't upset Ma', the Wright household was most certainly a matriarchy and while Rebecca was head of the house it was Ma' Wright who ruled the roost with a wooden spoon if need be. "Now would you prefer Greta or Miss Greenwich? As I've long told all Nathans friends you may call me Annette"
"More like Ma'" came a unwanted addition from Rick, this time he got away with it as Annette simple closed her eyes and shook her head, long given up on the black sheep as Rick had always fashioned himself to be.
"Whatever you wish dear" Annette said giving the nervous woman a small encouraging smile.

There was no smiles coming from Rebecca Wright however at Rick's antics, how he could be so rude was beyond her! However there would not be a scene, she had promised herself that she would not let him get to her today. "You're very much welcome Greta, I just hope the late notice didn't cause any troubles" She wouldn't admit that after pressing Luke to remind Nathan it had been a good few months from talk to action. She knew it was a matter that Nathan did things in his own time. Even the matter of opening gifts required quite a bit of thought for Nathan as Abigail returned and started handing them out, every year this seemed to take longer until it came time for him to offer Greta his own presents. Nathan was glad now for Abby handing them out because he was sure he'd lose the nerve entirely at the fact that well, he'd not wrapped them all that well and everything else looked so much nicer. But that was what happened when you never planned ahead and had to get things at the last minute when you'd already used your last pay on studio hours. "I um.. sorry it's not that well eh wrapped.. " he considered it never too early to apologize as Abby handed Greta her gift from him.

Oddly enough, meeting someone like Rick Wright didn't phase Greta as much as meeting her possible boyfriend's good friend's mother did. She dealt with much worse during her years as a reporter in Manhattan. "The one that's going to put you over her knee if you keep that up," she retorted as fast as his mother was slapping his wrist, a bit of a grin showing itself on her face as his quip actually helped ease a bit of the nervousness. "Greta, please," she replied to the older woman, definitely the matriarch of this family, "Thank you, Mrs. . . Annette." She managed to cover the look of surprise that her face wanted to express at Rick's suggestion of 'ma'. After all, that was reserved for couples and that wasn't her and Nathan. Nope, not at all. (Shouldn't this be where a discussion is held about a river in Egypt?)

Greta smiled at Rebecca and shook her head, "No, no problem at all. It was a very nice surprise." From there it was a matter of every receiving a round of gifts from Abigail and reading the name of the giver and opening them. Greta was speechless at the sight of her gift from Nathan, a state of surprise that was rare for a reporter who had seen quite a lot living in New York City. "It's. . . Wonderful! Fantastic! Oh my goat! You've made your album!" If she had been Abby's age, there would probably have been the inserting of squees in that line of exclamations. However, she was a bit older and she did the only thing she could think of that could show Nathan how happy she was at what his gift meant. Greta hugged him. Yes, in front of his family. No, she didn't remember the part about them all being there in that particular moment.

"Snap!" Luke called out approvingly as Rick appeared shocked at the quick retort. Rick wasn't a fan of girls who knew how to talk back when it didn't go along with his ideas. Girl was a reporter all right, and a New Yorker to boot. Neither Luke nor Rebecca could ever work out just how it was that Nathan seemed to get along so well in such a big city, after all he could barely function in Melbourne where he'd grown up, so surely America would be the last place for him to make himself at home? There had been more then a few anxious nights when he'd first said he was going on tour and wouldn't be coming home, the last time Nathan had moved to New York was when their father was still alive and Luke didn't need to be a reporter to know that the city and indeed America as a nation had changed greatly since the 90s. Of course even he was surprised by the rapid changes that had taken hold in New York by the protesters, it had come seemingly overnight that what had been a small event had turned into a global phenomenon jumping the barriers between nations and even to the magical world thanks to the Fight the Darkness protest. Somehow amongst all this his brother had managed to survive and for as much as he'd been able to get out of him Nathan had only talked of the occupy protesters as 'nice' and 'good pizza' seemingly immune to the whims of politics and police alike.

Trying to talk to him hadn't helped either, it was like arguing with smoke that he'd think on or agree but you never knew what was taken to heart or forgotten. That was why they needed to take care of 'our Nathan' and why it was big news that Nathan was seeing someone new so soon after the his last relationship had soured. Nobody had expected him to bounce back, yet here he was. Not that there hadn't been any help from the family of course, Greta was in respect already part of the family in Luke's eye for working at The Global Voice and he knew she was someone of integrity from the reports she had published over they years. Everything that could be done to make her visit welcoming was done with Luke smiling as Abby looked up to watch Greta's excitement at her gift with confusion as to what the big deal was. "It's um.. only a e.p.. we kind of ran out of time?" Nathan admitted thinking back to the hours that had been wasted playing 'what's this button do' and the like. While Marcus was a important part of the band it did certainly take a lot longer to get anything done with him around. Before Nathan had a chance to explain further he was being hugged. Yes, okay that was quite nice, People did hug on Christmas Day didn't they? Wondering if he was required to return the favour he remembered far too late that there was one Abigail Wright watching the entire scene playing out with her brown eyes wide in shock. Normally when people hugged Unchie Nathy he was like a scarecrow and Abby had always thought he would break. Miss Greta had to be REALLY special to get a proper hug from Unchie Nathy. Clearly this was a sign that they where sure to fall in love.

Greta hadn't survived life in a newsroom by keeping silent. Nuh uh as Abby would have said. She was fairly able to hold her own with Rick, who apparently had chosen to sulk for a while. At least he was quiet for now as they moved on to opening gifts. Greta was unaware of Nathan's family's concerns or Luke's wondering just how Nathan had been surviving while he was in New York again. If asked, Greta would not have managed to be able to answer that because somehow, whenever she saw Nathan, he seemed to be fitting in with the city just fine, whether it was meeting up with her for something or finding a vinyl shop he wanted to go to or even when he had sets to play.

Another thing Greta was not aware of, was the ideas, thoughts and manipulation plans of one Abigail Wright, niece extraordinaire. If she had, Greta might have thought twice about hugging Nathan when she opened her gift. Or maybe not. She was too excited to see the gift. "EP is just as amazing. You have a record! People have been waiting for this! I have been waiting for this! This is more exciting than seeing Nirvana live!" Yep, she was thrilled as she waited for Abby to continue 'delivering' gifts and hoping Nathan would like her gift to him once he got it to open. Did we mention completely unaware of the set up she left for Abby?

There was quite a bit of excitement around the gifts, it had been a 'band decision' to keep news of the recording quiet but of course that had only lasted until the first Werk. To think that had life taken a slightly different path they might well have ended up signed to Shock Records and making their recording debut back in the 90s. There was no money in it these days, where it not for Nathan's connections they might never have gotten the money together to make The Cosmic Goat E.P. Nobody could quite remember how the name had gone about, there had been some drinking in celebration of the first night of recording and somehow it had stuck from there. If there was a scale of embarrassment from 1-10 Nathan was most certainly on a 100 as Greta gushed that the cheaply pressed demo recording of a Australian pub band was a bigger deal then a live performance by the 'God of Grunge' and former hero of one Nathan Wright when he'd first switched from playing 'proper' music to focus on being a guitarist in their thrown together band. Speechless he'd never really seen himself as anywhere near on the level of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic or even Dave Grohl... though he had to admit that The Foo Fighters where patchy at best of late from the bits he'd listened to.

"Not many people!" Luke joked, while it was true that they had after many years of long absence started to gain a bit of a cult following among the magical community of England and Australia they where hardly well known.. well except Nathan of course, he'd have been a lot more famous if he'd stuck to guitar rather then focusing on electronic music. People never really cared about DJ's until the sound was stolen and made palatable for the masses.
"Hush you! You know Mel's been asking me for new's ever since she heard about it.." Rebecca corrected, "I think it's wonderful" giving her husband a kiss as she sat down on the couch, Rick it seemed was less forthcoming after the shock of finding out that Nathan's new girl had a mouth on her, waiting long enough to get his share of the presents he made a hasty excuse about having to work in order to leave early.

"Marcus wanted to press it on green vinyl.. but it was eh, expensive" Nathan explained before Abby all but threw herself at him with a gift from Greta.. as she loudly proclaimed to the rest of the room. Head down with hair hiding his face Nathan carefully unwrapped the package so as to not rip the paper, he wasn't sure what to expect but worried that it would be something big or expensive and he'd spend ages feeling bad for his own cheap gifts. Thankfully he could recognize the shape of a tshirt from a mile off, he tended to go though them quite quickly due to his erratic laundry habits. Amid calls to show the rest he held it up, a blush as he mumbled a thanks and put it aside on his 'pile'. Below was a record cleaning kit, Nathan had so far resisted the trend towards abandoning vinyls for live shows.. it was bound to be useful with his record collection mostly left to lay around his apartment willy nilly gathering dust. "Thanks.. um.." Nathan didn't know what else to say.. did they hug or would she be offended that he wasn't as excited by her gift as she had been? Nathan didn't know but mumbled a second thanks as the others started tidying up the mess of wrapping paper and packaging before they it was time for Lunch and the promise of monopoly after.

"Oh you'd be surprised, Luke," Greta countered when he tried to say only a few would have been looking forward to this record. "You should have seen the requests for information about Silencio our New York office got after you all appeared at Glasto this year and did that wizarding television interview." With what someone might take as an evil grin, Greta added, "They kept asking the music editor who that quiet guy was that seemed to stay to the back and I told him to reply to them that the guy's name was Rick Wright." Sure, Greta knew it wasn't but for some reason, she didn't want to share the information she had about that 'shy one' named Nathan. Was she surprised that the aforementioned Rick Wright seemed to head out after the gifts were opened? Nope. Did she mind? Nope again.

However, the fact that Silencio had made their first lp was the most perfect news she could have heard this morning. Well, maybe that Nathan was returning to the city after the holidays but that was another story. She was happy that Nathan seemed to like the gifts she had gotten for him and when he thanked her, Greta made a mistake.

Now let me digress and explain here, in normal company, this would not have been a mistake but a kind gesture. However, this group could not be considered a normal situation because this group contained the one, the only Miss Abigail Wright. The odds of her not noticing what Greta just did -- which was to reach over, cover Nathan's hand with hers, smile happily and say "You're welcome. Merry Christmas" -- Yeah better chance of spotting space goats or llamas for an adventurer taking an arrow in the ass.