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torestoreamends · 6 years

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Recap – 16/12/17

When I see an incredible performance of Cursed Child there’s normally a moment when I look at the stage and think ‘this is very special, and I need to do everything I can to remember it’. With this performance, that didn’t happen. It didn’t hit me how amazing it was until the next day, when all the tiny little details came flooding back to me, and I slowly realised that every single tiny piece of what I’d just seen was flawless.

Every time I see the show I want to see new things, I want to learn something about the characters, or about the technicalities of the show. I want to take something exciting away with me, some new revelation that can feed my future enjoyment of the world and of the show.

With this one, it felt very average at the time. Everyone did their normal things, no one noticeably brought anything particularly new to the table. It was very standard, very well executed; safe but high-quality. But on reflection, within the things I’ve become so familiar with over the last seven months, were new and exciting things, tiny things, that made the whole show incredibly special. Like a layer of glittery festive icing sugar on top of a very standard but tasty chocolate cake. This one definitely glittered.

I think I might get the things that I wasn’t wildly in love with out of the way first, so nothing gets in the way of the lengthy speech I have planned about how much I adore Mackley, Samuel, and James Howard (among others).

So I had never seen a cover Ron until this show. I’ve seen the show n amount of times, and have now seen the main Ron n-1 times. This started out as luck, but recently became more by design. Anyway, I was resigned to this one. I guessed it was coming, prepared myself accordingly, and now there is no longer a character in the play that I haven’t seen a cover for!

I think I need to see Danny’s Ron again. I always find it weird seeing a cover of a character for the first time, because you spend half the play just getting used to them so you don’t really get a full sense of what it is their doing, and what journey they’re going on. But that didn’t stop me having opinions.

I thought he was great with the more serious stuff. I really enjoyed his second timeline (this was one of the best second timelines I’ve seen all round actually), especially the awkward staircase scene with Hermione. Where he fell down was the comedy. I think the problem came from him replicating what Tom does, and obviously he’s a different actor to Tom. I think he would have been a lot more successful if he’d done his own thing with it.

There were things that are really funny when they’re over-emphasised, and he didn’t really push those things. They would have been great if he’d gone further with them (I’m thinking of the baby or a holiday scene in particular, which had good potential, but I just wanted more of everything). Also, in Act Four I found his Ron more standoffish and sulky than a joker, especially in the church, which really didn’t work for me. He’s a good actor, but definitely not my Ron.

Anyway, moving on to the things I really enjoyed.

Part One

This cast is weird. They’ve always been weird. And what I mean by that is that, in general, their Part Two is a lot better than their Part One. It’s been that way ever since the first show, and I don’t know what it is, but Part One often just feels like set up. The real action begins at the end of Act Two, and that’s when the really brilliant stuff comes out. That’s when they fire up.

However, every month or two, they’ll give a performance where Part One really shines. It’ll come alive, every second of it will be compelling, and I’ll be totally blown away. This was definitely one of those. It was a great Part One.

The fun really started with Mackley’s blanket scene. Last time I saw him do one of these I thought it could have been more explosive, but this one was everything I expect from him. He actually screamed himself into tears, which was really cool.

I didn’t notice it this time, but normally one of my favourite things about a Mackley blanket scene is how the power balance between Harry and Albus changes when he’s on as opposed to Theo. When Theo is Albus, Harry takes a position of physical power in the scene – Jamie stands up and towers over him, while he stays curled up on the bed until near the very end of the scene.

With Mackley it’s the opposite. Albus stands up and positions himself behind the bed head, putting a physical barrier between himself and Harry, and using the height advantage over his dad to make himself big and intimidating in his anger, meanwhile Harry sits on the bed looking up at him. Since Jamie uses his physical positioning in scenes in such a specific way, to emphasise where harry feels he is in the pecking order, I actually love seeing this difference. I find it very cool and very fascinating.

The other great bit of the scene this time was how Mackley screamed in his face. It gave me beautiful flashbacks to the days of Jamie P and Sam, when being nose to nose and yelling was a daily occurrence. I can clearly remember Mackley straining as he shouted, and by the time he got to the end of “no, I just wish you weren’t my dad!” his voice cracked, and Albus went from angry to broken in a heartbeat.

That fracturing at the key moment of the scene, when Albus is his angriest, just shows how much Albus really loves his dad and wants to be loved back, and emphasises his despair in the fact that he thinks it will never be possible to get that love. My friend @eldabe said the most brilliant thing, which I think applies perfectly here: “Mackley’s Albus is just such a unique combination of vulnerable kid and confident teenager”. He is confident, he’s bold, he shouts for what he wants, and inside he’s this mess of a child who just wants love and friendship and adventure, and I think that is what I find exciting about him.

Oh the quiz scene in this show... I cannot overstate how much I adore Samuel and Mackley as a combination. They may not be the most Scorbusy, but I love how much fun they have together. I love how Mackley is enough of a loose canon to keep Samuel endlessly entertained.

Whenever I see Mackley and Samuel together they sparkle at each other. They have this joy in their eyes, and you can see their love of performing and performing together, and you can see how much they’re enjoying themselves. This is particularly the case with Samuel, because every time I’ve seen him with Mackley, there comes a point in the show where he stops doing his job and starts having fun. It stops being a thing he loves that is his livelihood, and becomes a game. He sort of takes flight, and everything becomes effortless, and somehow when Samuel is enjoying himself and when he’s flying, he’s even more Scorpius than he is when he’s really focusing on his craft. It’s not really something I can capture in a description, it’s something you have to see for yourself.

But anyway, in this show, the quiz scene was where Samuel started having fun, and from there the rest of the Part was just pure joy. It was delightful.

I remember one moment very clearly from this scene. When Scorpius says “get that strange look out of your eye”, Mackley turned to Samuel, put his hands on his shoulders, and for the first time ever I got this overwhelming sense of Albus as a hero. In that moment, Albus was the hero of his own story, he was taking control of his life, and he was a force of nature.

Over the shows I’ve seen Mackley do as Albus, I’ve seen the balance between Albus and Scorpius get better and better. The first time, I didn’t even notice Anthony until some point in Act Four, because Mackley and Albus were the star of the show. But the more I see him with Samuel, the more the balance between Albus and Scorpius gets. Albus no longer dominates Part One the way he once did; this quiz scene was the only moment where I really felt he was in control of their partnership.

Ed was in Danny’s track in the St Oswald’s scene. It was aesthetically pleasing. (If anyone doesn’t know why that’s significant... message me and I’ll explain.)

This was only the second time I’d seen Martin as Amos/Dumbledore, and I certainly enjoyed his Amos a lot more this time (I already loved his Dumbledore). It took me until this second show to get used to his voice and the way he plays the character. He feels a lot more solid, and a bit younger than Barry; more tough and up for a fight, and I quite like that. It certainly worked well in the scene at St Oswald’s, where he and Mackley were going at each other. I also love how you can see Delphi getting more and more frustrated with him, because he’s so head strong and difficult to control.

One of my favourite things about seeing Mackley as Albus is getting to see him play not only with Samuel, but also with Annabel. You can see how well they get on and how used to each other they are. The two of them really come alive together. The best example of this is the ‘Wizzo!’ moment.

They don’t decide before they go on what they’re going to do there. It’s pure improv. Annabel comes up with an idea on the spot (presumably something as ridiculous as she can think of) and Mackley has to copy her as if he’s been doing it all along. And then Samuel has to come rushing in and go along with the whole mess. It’s really glorious. (This show’s wasn’t the best one I’ve seen. Annabel confessed last time Mackley was on that she was running out of ideas, and while this one was fine and very ridiculous, Samuel didn’t pick up on it as well as I’ve seen him do before. There have been some truly stellar ones before though.)

The other random thing that I adore about Mackley is how calm he is about the Expelliarmus. It doesn’t look like he’s at all worried about catching the wand. He does the trick a lot slower than Theo, but that actually makes it better, because he’s so confident in it that you never doubt for a second that it‘ll work. It’s always very impressive.

I have been hearing about James McGregor’s Bane for a long time, but have never managed to see him before. However, I finally understood what all the fuss was about (honestly, I got AA16 for the most aesthetically pleasing show ever – Ed as ‘Danny’, James as Bane, and Leah as Polly. Even I was jealous of me.) Anyway, I did just about manage to form coherent thoughts about James’s Bane, which was no mean feat, let me tell you.

He’s a very young seeming Bane. His anger is raw and new. Nuno’s (and Adam’s too from what I remember) feels worldly and developed over years of bitterness and hatred, but James’s Bane has a similar sort of anger to Albus, one that’s just beginning to take flame. It was a really interesting take, and he felt sort of naive in his anger. It made me wonder how long centaurs live, because I always assumed Bane was older by now, but maybe not in centaur years. Anything goes when your character is a magical creature!

I had three favourite things from the First Task scene this time. 1. Josh and James P spelling TWT with their hands at the start of the scene. I’ve seen this before, but it’s normally Mackley and James P, so it was cute seeing James P teaching it to Josh in character at the very beginning of the scene. 2. Before the ‘I love Krum’ chant, Mackley turns his back on the audience, and when it starts he does a Macarena style jump to start the routine. It’s ridiculous, and I love everything about it. 3. Rupert decided he was very very scared of the dragons, and went to hide behind Ed, who ended up right at the front of the crowd.

Also, I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it before, but I love everything Samuel does in this scene (I love everything he does in every scene but whatever). Scorpius gets so excited working out which task it is, and looking around the crowd. He’s so overwhelmed to be part of history, it’s adorable. One of Scorpius’s cutest moments, and one of the (many) parts where you realise how perfect Samuel is.

A really cool thing in the hospital wing scene was seeing how detached Martin’s Dumbledore is from everything. It was so portrait-like. At the end of the scene, when he says ‘and I never had a son’, he wasn’t looking at Harry. It was like he couldn’t bring himself to, or maybe just that a portrait can’t express emotion in that way. Either way it was very interesting, and it goes along with what Martin’s said before about Dumbledore being a grief stricken old man, and very similar to Amos in that sense. That grief and emotion, and the inability to express it (especially at this point in the show) really makes sense.

I will never not love the potent look between Scorpius and Harry, once Albus has run away after telling Scorpius he can’t talk to him anymore. It’s such a guilty, heartbreaking thing. (Also, Mackley’s version of Albus running away is so gorgeous. It’s definitely one of those ‘vulnerable kid’ moments, which are so powerful beside the confident teenager he’s playing earlier in the scene. He so desperately needs his dad that he’s willing to throw everything away with Scorpius for a chance a his dad’s love.)

The DADA scene in this show was absolutely flawless. I’ve never loved Rakie’s Hermione as much as I did this time around. She usually has brilliant interaction with everyone in the scene, but this time in particular she had these really cool moments with all of them. I remember her catching Josh laughing and crouching down in front of him when she said the ‘what limited popularity you’ve got left line’ and then sort of repeating to him a couple of times that he should be quiet, while he looked utterly bemused and a little bit afraid. At one point she also told April off. Having said all that, she was a lot calmer and more contained in this show than others, and I think that was why I loved it so much – she has a tendency to play it too wild for my personal taste.

So last time I saw the play I discovered a new technical detail that I’ve never seen before. In the duel scene, as well as the handles on the back of Harry and Draco’s costumes to help them be lifted more easily, @ohscorbus and I noticed that Draco is wearing a sort of harness under his robes. I noticed it again in this one, and thought it was a fun little thing that’s super subtle and that people might miss.

Anyway, this was a fantastic duel. Possibly Jamie G’s best attempt at a Flipendo ever. He landed perfectly on his feet, and I was incredibly impressed. I think he was impressed too, because he ended up in the wrong place for the next spell while he was recovering from doing so well! He had to run across the stage, which I’ve never seen him do.

The best bit, though, was the bit after the duel. James Howard was exceptional in this one. He was the person in particular who didn’t anything especially stunning, but he exuded Draco to an extent I’ve never seen before even from him. Every detail was beautiful, and on reflection those details were even more breathtaking than they felt at the time.

I love it when he speaks so softly as he says “don’t lose the boy”. Draco means that line with every part of his soul. That experience and that sentiment is what makes him such a good and caring dad. He gets that sort of thing. He understands and identifies with Albus, whether or not he knows it, and that softness, the deliberateness, just proves it. I far prefer a quiet delivery to the louder ones. Counter-intuitively, it makes it much more direct and impactful.

I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but Samuel’s library scene is a work of art. Truly, it is a masterpiece. And I mean that in the highest sense of the word. Every single thing he says and does is so carefully crafted, into this wash of emotion and atmosphere. He holds the audience in the palm of his hand. This scene is why I want to have words with everyone who hasn’t given him an acting award yet. Because really. Really really.

Anyway, this was one of the best. This was beautiful. Because not only was Samuel firing on all cylinders, but Mackley was too. This was another instance of Mackley yelling himself into tears, and Samuel responded with emotion and anger and all the power and strength that Scorpius has inside him.

It was an angry, loud one. The tears were angry tears. And yet the bit about Astoria was so soft. (Don’t get me started on Samuel’s dynamics. I could write a novel.) Actually though, the best bits of stillness and quiet came in the second half of the scene.

One of the things Mackley does so incredibly well is having the confidence and courage to be absolutely still and hold an emotion on stage. He does it after Albus’s sorting, and he did it again here.

When they emerged from beneath the Invisibility Cloak he just stood at the back of the stage looking at Scorpius for the longest time, totally silent and still, and when he moved forward it was tentative and nervous, like he didn’t know if he was allowed to be near Scorpius anymore. The whole interaction was soft and slow and full of silent tension. Samuel always takes so long to say “thanks”, and normally Theo is waiting to jump straight back in again and go on with the apology, but Mackley didn’t. He took a pause that only built the tension and atmosphere between them.

When the hug in this scene finally came, Albus hugged Scorpius so hard that he actually lifted him off his feet. Samuel was not expecting that. He was so determined that Scorpius should not hug Albus back, that he ended up flailing his arms and feet around in the air in an attempt to kill his instincts for self-preservation. It was very sweet.

A final note on Part One. April has changed the line “girls and boys” to “boys and girls” a couple of times now. It makes the line feel very weird, but it is quite entertaining. I’d like to know if it’s deliberate, because she’s so confident about it that you really can’t tell.

Oh and one more, because I can’t help myself. I love how when Myrtle flirts with Scorpius, Samuel closes his robes over himself and makes himself all small, and then when she flirts with Draco, James hunches his shoulders and makes himself as small as he can too. It’s so sweet to see how much they really are father and son. These Malfoys are perfection.

It was an utterly gorgeous Part One. I loved every second of it, and it got me very excited for Part Two.

Part Two

This Part Two was such a slow burn of feelings that even now, over forty-eight hours later, I’m still suffering. I got very little from it in the moment, but it continues to slay me, which is a good part of why I’m writing this recap! The more I think about it, the more I love it. So I shall now make myself love it even more...

Samuel corpsing is my favourite thing. His ambition in life seems to be to make everyone on stage with him break, so to see someone else break him is a thing of beauty. I’m beginning to wonder if actually Elizabeth is trying to make him crack in the first scene of the act, by getting creepier and creepier. Anyway, whether it was deliberate or not, I think she managed it.

She sort of stroked Samuel’s cheek in this chillingly creepy way, and I’m pretty sure Samuel lost it for a bit. He was still sort of half grinning, half laughing in the next couple of scenes. But like I say, it’s difficult to tell sometimes if he’s broken or not, because he spends so much of his time smiling, and he also has Scorpius do all these anxious smiles when he’s very afraid, which he definitely is in this scene.

I love Leah’s Polly. I don’t think I have anything more to say about it than that... She’s great. I hope she stays next year and gets promoted, because she’s definitely my favourite Polly ever.

So the scene in Draco’s office. This has become (perhaps it’s always been) my favourite scene in the show. I love it with everything I have, and I love watching Samuel and James’s version – every one of their versions of it.

This was a very standard version of the scene. It had all the normal stuff that I’ve come to expect from these two. Samuel cried, Draco came out from behind the desk when I expected him to, Draco grabbed Scorpius’s chin and studied him... The usual.

Except this scene, on reflection, was so far from usual. It was stunning. Stunning for two main reasons.

First, when Draco emerged from behind the desk, he glanced over his shoulder at the door before saying “did your mother really say that of me?” I’ve talked to James about the possibility of Draco being undercover in this world, and I sort of take that as read in his portrayal at this point. So this glance over his shoulder was wanting to make sure no one would overhear this dangerous thing: how desperately he wanted to confirm that Astoria had said he was brave.

Second, after the chin grab he turned round and braced himself on the desk. This is powerful enough already, because he simply can’t face Scorpius when he says “can’t lose you too”. He’s trying to stay strong, but he knows he’ll break if he looks Scorpius in the eye. However, in this version there was an added level of potency.

As he said the line he ran his fingers round the edge of his wedding ring. He was so obviously thinking of how much it hurt him to lose Astoria, he doesn’t want anymore of her light to leave his life. Scorpius, this Scorpius in particular, is the last piece of hope that he has left to hold onto. He needs Scorpius so much in that world. Scorpius is his inspiration to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep up his Malfoy front and be who his family needs him to be. That single little run of fingers round the wedding ring has caused me a lot of pain in the last day or so. James is so rude, but I love him for it.

David’s writing on the blackboard is getting more obscure by the day, which is fun, but also a bit frustrating. It’s gone beyond the point where I know the phrase or can easily find it through google. This show’s one was ‘sapienter di-‘ so if anyone has any Latin intel and can help out with a translation, let me know!

Why is it that the covers are so good at getting hooked onto the Dementors, when the main actors do it every day and are still rubbish? I find it mind-boggling. Anyway, if Danny and Nicola ever end up doing a show together it will be the most stress-free Voldemort timeline we’ve ever seen.

I want to know what Draco says to Scorpius during their walk up to the castle together after the boys have returned from the lake. You can always see Draco talking to Scorpius, maybe telling him off, during the end of the scene by the lake, but he can’t be all angry, he must also be so relieved. I’d love to hear all that... I wonder if maybe after Draco is done telling Scorpius off he just stops talking, and it’s tense, awkward silence for the rest of the walk.

Josh as Karl in the bit with the kids eavesdropping on McGonagall’s office is really cute. Normally Mackley’s Karl does such a good job of comforting Rose, it’s one of his most lovely scenes, but Josh’s Karl really does not. He has no idea what to do. Craig and Yann end up coaching him through it, telling him he’s closest to her so he has to do something, telling him what it is he needs to do. And in the end all Josh’s Karl can manage is a really awkward little pat on the shoulder.

Mackley’s Albus’s relationship with Harry really shines in Part Two. This is also where we see the ‘confident teenager’ part of his personality come out. He’s so bold in his interactions with Harry. Where Theo’s Albus turns away, avoids eye contact, almost hides himself, Mackley’s Albus does the opposite.

In the dorm scene, when they’re sitting on the suitcase, Mackley has Albus turn to face his dad right from “Really scared you?” It turns from being slightly bitter and disbelieving to a real question, and Harry’s response to it shifts, towards amazement that his son doesn’t understand how scared he is of everything. It’s a real step on their journey, that with these two comes from Albus’s boldness.

The beginning of Scorpius and Albus’s dorm scene feels so empty without the pillow fight these days. It’s very weird.

The Owlery scene was pretty great in this one. Annabel and Mackley get on so well together that their interactions are brilliant, and then you have Samuel on the edge figuring things out on his own.

Scorpius realising Delphi was evil was really cool this time. He said “I don’t believe you were ever ill” so softly, like he was just disappointed in her. Disappointed and upset. She’d let him down by lying to him, when all he wanted was to trust her like Albus did. It was a lovely take on the moment.

Also, Annabel was kind of grabby, touchy feely with the boys. Delphi patted Scorpius on the knee; help Albus’s face, all the good stuff that makes her extra creepy.

This torture scene wasn’t just good, it was revelatory. Ever since the 17th of September, when I first saw Mackley with this cast, I’ve been on something of a journey of discovery with this scene. In that show, this scene really confused and disconcerted me. I found Mackley’s take on it so far from my concept of Albus (which he normally matches up with so well) that I was completely thrown off. And then, of course, I saw Theo do the same things that I’d seen Mackley do, but for some reason I preferred them then. So I’ve been figuring this one out, talking about it a lot, trying to understand where both Theo and Mackley are coming from, and I think I finally get it.

Mackley has Albus almost completely collapse in this scene. He’s still fierce, but that’s inspired by Scorpius, who’s the strong one, the one holding everything up. Scorpius is using everything he gained in the Voldemort timeline to be solid and keep fighting and refuse to be broken, and Albus latches onto that.

I don’t think Mackley nodded to say that yes he would go along with Delphi this time, but I’ve talked to both him and Theo about what it means when it does happen, and it’s a ploy. It’s to convince her that he’s going to go along with her, and buy himself and Scorpius (mostly Scorpius) time. And even if it’s not that, even if it’s just a total, fearful collapse, I can sort of understand that too.

The way Mackley plays Albus’s reaction to Craig’s death is to fall apart, all his fight and self-confidence imploding, and I see why. It’s not that event that destroys him, that’s just the tipping point, it’s that on top of everything that’s happened.

When Albus decides to destroy the Time-Turner, it’s because he’s already so broken by the thought of the damage he’s caused. This is a boy who (according to Theo) has nightmares about anything bad happening to his family. In everything that’s happened in the show to this point, all that Albus has done is hurt people, and he’s very much aware of that. He’s caused damage to the whole world, to his family, and to Scorpius, and in destroying the Time-Turner he set out to put all that right, but all he’s done is get someone else killed, for which he fully blames himself. So of course he collapses! It’s the despair of a kid who wants to do some good and still fucks up.

At his lowest point in this scene he must question whether he’s worthy of anything (Scorpius’s friendship, his dad’s love, any of it), if this is what his impact on the world is. Maybe this is what the Sorting Hat saw in him, this potential for complete and utter destruction.

In the context of a good, kind, loving boy, who just wants friendship and for his dad to appreciate him, it’s heart breaking. He’s heroic and noble, and so much like his dad – he takes the weight of everything on his shoulders. And for a kid like that to get to the point he reaches in this scene is devastating. It’s the opposite of everything he wants to be, and he really thinks it’s all his fault, even though so much of it has come from his manipulation.

So that was the revelation I reached, watching Mackley in this scene. I’ve finally come full circle, and figured out exactly where he was going with Albus on the 17th of September. I’ve learned a lot about Albus in the last three months, and I’m really glad I have, because now I can appreciate how that Albus that confused me so much is still the same as my Albus.

Another person who I had a minor revelation about in this show was James Howard. If you know me you’ll know that James has been my Draco ever since I saw his very first performance. I’ve loved him every step of the way. And on Saturday I managed to pin down one of the reasons I adore his Draco so very much.

James has nailed Draco’s instinct for both self-preservation, and the need to protect his son. He plays a Draco who has clearly learned so much from his life experiences, who knows how to behave in duels, and around instances of Dark Magic, and who knows how to do all sorts of difficult spells. But he’s also learned these sort of worldly instincts, things like how to handle hierarchy in a situation, when it’s his place to step in and fight, and when to let someone else take charge and trust that they’ll do a good job. When he’s functioning in a group and not as a lone wolf, he’s brilliant, despite his social awkwardness and how afraid he is.

He knows how to survive all sorts of situations, because he’s seen so much, done so much, experienced heartbreak and failure and true fear. Everything he does in the play is about survival, it’s that instinct to keep himself and his son going, whether it’s in the Voldemort timeline when he’s defending their position, or when he knows Scorpius has been kidnapped, or when he’s fighting Delphi with the group. He can manoeuvre around all those situations, and James makes that feel so real, like such a basic instinct for Draco.

He makes his acting choices, and the person he sees Draco as being, feel entirely real, entirely ingrained, and his thoughts and ideas are like pure instinct and mannerism. There’s no separation between him and Draco, and it’s an incredible thing that I’m in awe of and would love to know how he pulls off.

I’ve now seen Morag as the Station Mistress twice! I actually saw her first show, which I think was a surprise to the cast as much as to us – James McGregor was listed on the cast board, so that first time she was a last minute substitution.

The second time was definitely better from all sides. Having her as a surprise was very cool, but also sort of threw off the whole balance of the scene, and it was better with practice, because the boys had to switch up their lines, and she had to figure out where to stand on the stage to make the scene work.

I’ve spoken to a lot of people who seem to prefer Martin’s Amos to his Dumbledore, but I’m actually the opposite. Although I’ve warmed to his Amos now I’m used to it, I think the standout is his Dumbledore, which is really fascinating.

He gives Dumbledore so much fragility and pain. Although his Amos is a lot more solid-feeling than Barry’s, his Dumbledore really isn’t. His Dumbledore is fracturing at the seams and falling apart. It’s not a take I’ve thought of before, but I love it a lot, especially in the context of Martin’s theory that Dumbledore and Amos’s grief is what makes them so similar.

I can’t remember if I did Cackle Watch with Alex last year, but I’m certainly doing it with James. I have this theory that the destiny of everyone who plays Draco is to end up cackling when they say “maybe it’ll be mine soon enough”. I think it’s an inevitability of inhabiting that character for a year. It just happens. Alex did it, and now James is just proving the point, because every show he sneaks just a teeny bit closer to cackling there. At the moment it’s still a laugh (albeit an evil one), but soon... Soon we shall achieve full cackle.

Having raved about James, because I think he’s perfect, I do want to pull up one thing he does that’s getting increasingly annoying and frustrating with every show, and that is the way he delivers “she wanted me to have someone when she left”. He does this stupid, unnecessary, really fake pretend sob as he says it, and his voice cracks, and maybe it’s just me having seen him do it *cough* number of times, but it’s irritating, and I wish he’d stop.

The emotion he generates in that speech about Astoria and Scorpius is so beautiful, he does an amazing job, and I feel like the fake sob throws away all his hard work. It doesn’t need to be there to make him sound emotional. I’ve seen some absolutely stunning versions of that speech, and I wish he would have the confidence or whatever it is he needs to just see that through, rather than trying to ‘sound emotional’ and ruining the real, natural atmosphere he’s created.

A gorgeous thing he does in this scene, once he’s come back from the awful fake emotion, is to cradle the Time-Turner after Harry says “and nor will a Time-Turner, I’m afraid”. That thing contains all his hope of saving Astoria and Scorpius. It contains everyone he loves in the world. It’s all he has left at this point in the play. If the show ended after that scene, Draco would be left only with a gold Time-Turner, and the knowledge that he could search for centuries and never manage to get his beloved family back, and that is heartbreaking and wonderful. He cradles it like a baby, like he’s holding a much younger Scorpius safe in his arms, with so much gentleness. It’s Draco’s saddest moment of the play.

The best thing about a Mackley and Samuel show is Godric’s Hollow, when they just go wild. This wasn’t the wildest one I’ve seen from these two (I still fondly remember the 17th of September when it was both of their last shows before a break, and they went totally nuts and Mackley made Samuel corpse), but it was lovely, the culminating moment being when they both leapt into the air an inch apart and I truly thought for a second that we were going to get a dorky Scorbus chest bump, which might actually have killed me. They did not actually do a chest bump, but we were so close. I hope they do it one day. It would be wonderful.

I put in my bullet point plan of this recap that I should mention the snow in Mackley’s hair so... here we are. Mackley has the perfect hair for collecting snow. It just sits there, all nestled in the fluff. It’s great.

I have about ten thousand favourite things about Samuel’s performance, but one of my most beloved elements is what he does when the seven are looking for the perfect place to wait for Delphi. Obviously in the script, Hermione is the one who spots St Jerome’s as a great hiding place, but over the summer, Samuel started having Scorpius sort of point it out a few seconds before she spotted it. He would sort of look between here and the clock, and surreptitiously point. She didn’t notice for a long time, until one glorious show when she turned round and caught him. Ever since then, spotting St Jerome’s has become a collaborative effort between Scorpius and Hermione, and it’s such a sweet moment between them. I love that Samuel throws in fun little things like that.

At the line “It was Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix’s loyal husband’ Annabel changes Rodolphus for Bellatrix, resulting in a momentary pause as she considered how to escape from this fuck up, and in which I freaked out, as I do when these things happen. She almost recovered perfectly. The line got a teeny bit warped but what can you do? The most astounding thing about it was that Annabel messed up a line, because I feel like she never does that! Everything is always so natural and in the moment, and flows so well, that it seems as though she is Delphi. She delivers the lines differently every show, just going with how the mood takes her, and it’s that naturalness that’s always so impressive with her.

The hug in this one between the Malfoys when Lily and James are being killed was utterly heartbreaking. When Voldemort was confronting Lily, Draco was already kissing Scorpius’s hair and trying to comfort him, and the second she was hit with the Killing Curse, Scorpius grabbed his dad as tight as he could and hid himself in his arms, with Draco cradling him and protecting him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them hug so fiercely.

And then, to make everything worse, when the seven were spinning away on the turntable at the end of the scene, I could see Scorpius shifting his hands on his dad’s back, like he was trying to hold onto more and more of him, as much as he possibly could. There was so much desperate need, and love and support there. It was beautiful.

I love a good penultimate scene, especially when there’s adorable teasing and stuff going on.

Recently, when the staircase gets wheeled on at the start of the scene, Samuel has started bouncing around and getting all hyper and excitable before anything has even happened – it reminds me a lot of when he’s tapping his fingers together with excitement for the start of the dorm scene. His Scorpius is full of constant energy and hyperactivity – he must have been an exhausting child; I almost feel sorry for Draco and Astoria.

Mackley does a great teasing Albus. I remember him flapping his robes at Scorpius, laughing about Rose, all sorts. I think all the Albuses have picked up on the way Helen flails her robes when she says “Scorpion King”, and are determined to mock it. Also, I love Mackley’s “and she said no”, which is sort of sung all dramatic and opera style, and ends with him cackling. Like I say, teasing Albus is great.

I can’t talk about this scene without talking about Samuel’s delivery of the new version of us line, which is so utterly unacceptable, and only gets worse every time I see the show. He says it so slowly. It’s so painfully and beautifully uncertain and heartfelt. It’s like Scorpius is navigating his feelings along with the words. He goes so softly and carefully through it, picking his way from word to word, and it’s that uncertainty that makes it real, and gives it weight.

You can tell how important it is to Scorpius to say what he’s saying and say it well. And like he’s said at stage door, this is a moment where the boys know something has changed between them; that it’s something incredibly important, but not yet quite what it is or what it means. That is what Scorpius is trying to put into words here, and Samuel does it with such beautiful, tentative, meaningful perfection. I could write songs about the hope that the end of this scene brings. It’s exceptional.

I’m not going to end the recap on a low note by talking about Mackley’s pigeon racing line – just know that it was so cringey this show (the worst I’ve seen) that I almost crawled under my seat and hid. Other things from the final scene, though, include the ending of the fabulous arc Mackley sets up around Craig’s death and how it impacts on Albus, and ultimately on the repair of his relationship with Harry.

I also really want to touch on one of my favourite bits of meta from the show, which I’ve really grown to love recently. It requires a tiny bit of backtracking to the scene with Hagrid in the house after Lily and James’s deaths. At this point, the back wall of the theatre retracts, so there’s a gap between the brick wall and the arch detailing. It creates the effect that Hagrid really is standing in the ruins of a house, with just a barebones structure around him.

But at the end of this scene, the back wall stays retracted, and as the fire fades, the impression is not so much of a ruin, but of a structure, a scaffolding, something solid and new and bare that can be built around. And building is what’s happening in these last two scenes, when Scorpius and Albus try to figure out where their friendship is now, and as Harry and Albus tentatively explore how to be a good father and son for each other.

I absolutely love this tiny bit of a set design. I think it’s brilliant. Everything has been torn away, stripped back and laid bare. They’ve all revealed so much of themselves in the last Act, and now they’re starting from a new foundation. They’re going to start building something new together, using the tentative scaffolding of the experiences they’ve shared and the things they’ve learned, and it’s not going to be easy, but they’ll make it work. I think that back wall symbolises hope, and growth, and the future.

So there we go. A recap! It’s not full of every tiny detail (because I would have to write a novel and I don’t need to start a second one of those), but this show was good enough to be worth something, because it was so full of insight, and just such an interesting experience.

I’m a repeat viewer of this show because I always want to learn about the characters and the story and the technicality of this play, so any performance that teaches me as much as this one did is a real standout in my books.

#Harry Potter and the Cursed Child #Cursed Child #Samuel Blenkin #James Howard #Tom Mackley #Rakie Ayola #cursed child recap #Keep The Secrets #Notes from the show #This was short #I cut things #I promise #Anyway yay #the recaps are back!#I was inspired and I missed them #and actually now I'm seeing it less and not writing so much fic it's a lot easier #you have to take a step back to write these things and that's been hard recently #but here we are!

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james--harrington · 7 years

Text

Work Visit || JElla

Tagging: James Harrington & Ella Jameson When: 5/19/17 Where: The auto shop Notes:

James-05/19/2017

James wiped the grease from his hands and went to answer his office phone which was ringing off the hook the past two minutes. The rag dropped onto a stack of paper and he slid his fingers underneath the receiver. "Harrington Auto Shop," he spoke as he sat down. He wanted to groan because it felt good to give his feet and back a rest. "Oh. Yeah. Been busy," he said into the phone. "No," he kept going," He felt like sparking a cigarette but after El told him about the babies he made a conscious effort to not smoke. "Things are fine, man. I'll come by the bar later this week. Alright?" He hung up his phone right when Ella's car pulled up. He wanted to give it an oil change. James sat there for a moment. His friend knew something was up and James didn't want to tell him, or anyone, what Ella shared with him. But Chuck always had a way of uncovering the truth.

Ella-05/19/2017

Cruising around had proven to be getting harder and harder with the growing bump, but today was a good day where Ella was feeling herself. Carefully getting in to the BMW Ella drove it down to James' garage noting how much smaller the car seemed as she grew bigger and bigger. On the way she stopped for two ice coffees for them as it was a warm day. When she pulled in she cut the engine and got out, coffees in hand. Her bump led the way in her denim off the shoulder summer dress as she walked in to the shop. "Hey Theo, is James in the office?"

James-05/19/2017

Theo greeted Ella with a warm, welcoming smile. The man pointed to the office with a wrench. "He took a phone call," he told her in case he happened to still be on the phone. Theo set the wrench aside and walked to Ella's car. James told him what it needed done earlier in the day. James heard El's voice and he pushed the phone to the side and though to tidy his desk because he knew she'd give him an earful about his filing system. But he decided to hell with it. "I'm here, El!" he called out for her to come on in.

Ella-05/19/2017

Ella thanked Theo and balanced the coffees in one hand opening the door to James office. "Ya know, I think I need a bigger car. I kinda want a Rover.. what do you think?" Ella placed a coffee on his desk and kissed his cheek,"Hi baby, how's your day?"

James-05/19/2017

"A bigger car for you or one for the babies?" He asked, getting to his feet to kiss her hello. He picked up his coffee and set it away so he could sit on the corner of his desk, feeling a stack of paper push to the side. "Busy. Not overwhelming which is good." He chewed his lip a moment. "Got a phone call from a friend of mine. Someone I've known for a lot of years. He was getting ome about not being around."

Ella-05/19/2017

"Well for all of us. It will give you more leg room and more space for all the baby gear..." Ella shrugged, "We can keep the Beamer too. That can be our date night car or something." She moved so she was in between his legs and sipped on the cold drink, eyeing the papers that moved. She gave him a look but didn't say anything. Her head cocked to the side,"oh yeah? Anyone I've met?" She tried to read his vibe if this was bothering him.

James-05/19/2017

"I like how you sell the leg room for me," he placed his hands onto her hips and tried to ignore the way she looked past him. That look she gave said it all and he though to poke fun at it. But he decided to stick with the topic of his friend. "No. Chuck wasn't at the bar when you went there." He tried to think of a way to explain who he was, "Remember when I told you I went to jail and they discharged me because of a wrongful charge? This is the friend I was with that night. The one who was arrested for assault."

Ella-05/19/2017

"And they're so pretty.." Ella smiled with a her best pouty face. Of course she could buy one herself and would gladly get one for the family. But at James seemingly serious face Ella touched his chin lovingly,"Is he someone you should be hanging out with?" She questioned gently but seriously.

James-05/19/2017

James leaned back on his hands and eyed his girl, loving the way she smiled about the car. "Why do I get the impression you'll name this?" He asked, "Would it have one of those fancy names?" He picked up his drink and sipped from the straw. "And no. He's not. He has that way of knowing somethings on my mind. And after you told me about Peter I've had days it creeps back in there and angers me all over again. I don't need him to weasle that information out of me. A. It's private. B. I know he's push for some type of revenge shit." Not that James was opposed to that latter.

Ella-05/19/2017

"Name the car?" Ella thought about it delighted,"Maybe I can call that coco." She mused. But Ella's demeanor changed the more James spoke. She understood it angering James and how it found its way back in his thoughts - it certainly was on her mind more than she liked to admit seeing him day in and day out - but still. "I didn't tell you you that to torture you or to get revenge." Ella said pointedly. "I don't want this guy bringing you down, j. I need you. We need you."

James-05/19/2017

It was a good thing James stopped drinking when he did because the eye roll which followed her name choice would have caused him to sputter. He held the cup between his knees and looked down at it, pinching the straw to move up and down. "I know that wasn't your intention, baby. But you've got to understand you're my woman. I'm going to get into these moods where I want to protect you. Even when it comes to things that have happened." He let go of the straw and set the drink down beside him to take hold of her, unable to bring her in fully due to her bump. "Don't worry. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He wanted to promise he wouldn't do anything stupid but he wasn't sure he could.

Ella-05/19/2017

Ella knew that being open with James would upset him and that had been part of the big struggle of how and when to tell him but now everything was out and she had no idea what he would do with this information. Nodding, she sipped on her coffee and let James pull her in more. His words bringing her more security than he realized as they still waited the results for the paternity test they took. Something felt unsettled and she couldn't put her finger on it.

James-05/19/2017

James went to take the coffee from her hand and set it next to his. There was no way to tell which was which without reading the sides of the cups. "How are you feeling?" he wanted to steer the conversation away from Chuck and anything involving Peter and focus on her.

Ella-05/19/2017

Ella searched his face for a moment before answering. She wasn't sure what to think of his subject change but didn't press and instead went along with it. "Pretty good. I've been feeling some flutters and I swear I felt a kick in the car after I ate that lemon pound cake." Ella looked down at her belly with a smile. "Im hoping they try and show off for daddy."

James-05/19/2017

"Does this mean I can't put my hand on your belly and tell one of them to kick for me?" He put his cool hand there anyway. Just in case they heard him. Could babies understand language already or was it all muffled sounds. Actually...it was better then or their kids would come out mimicking some of the words his El tended to say when they got good and hot in the bedroom. "I need to paint the nursery and put together the cribs this weekend." He said, hand remained on her stomach. "I'd hate for the room to be half finished by the time they come out."May 20, 2017

Ella-05/20/2017

"No no, you should; I want them to kick for you." Ella grinned. She took his hand and placed it a little lower to where she had felt the kick before. She looked up at him,"that sounds good, I'll help where I can but we could also hire a painter if you want?" It also lead back to their more involved conversation of where they would live. "Have you thought any more about looking into buying a new construction build in town?"

James-05/20/2017

James' hand went to it's new place and he massaged the area with the lightest of touches, more of a caress than anything. "I have," he admitted. "The thing with that is if you want it to be under my name or yours. We can change all of that later when we're married." he said this as if there was no question about it. His ex made her opinon very clear saying Ella got pregnant because she wanted to trap him in the relationship and we he told her he planned to marry her that set off a whole other stream of opinions. "That's if you still want to after the babies are here and you see how much I suck as a parent." James had to laugh at himself with this.

Ella-05/20/2017

"We could be co-signers?" Ella suggested. "And we may not even need a loan; between what we get for our places and what I have in my trust we should be more than able to cover it in cash." Ella started to feel the fluttering in her belly and covered J's hand with her own, applying pressure and giving him a look, "Please these poor kids are stuck with the both of us." She laughed with him.

James-05/20/2017

As he was about to add something his hand was guided further down and his mouth dropped open; which turned into an immediate smile. "Oh shit," he whispered. "That's what the kicks feel like?" he wanted to get off the desk and go eye level to be closer. James' whole face lit up and he couldn't get over this. That one of their kids was feeling active and he wonder if it was the boy or girl. Or if they took turns. "Does that tickle?"May 21, 2017

Ella-05/21/2017

"Don't swear," Ella laughed, knowing all too well that both of them had mouths on them. She nodded,"I've been feeling the flutters for a while but they're getting strong enough to feel them from the outside now." There was a sharp little kick against James' hand,"Oh! That was a big one!" Ella giggled, as she stared down at her stomach in awe. "It kind of feels like bubbles or something. It's crazy. Must be the coffee!"

James-05/21/2017

James gave her a look and he laughed. By God did he laugh. "You do know our kids are coming out knowing all the bad words, right? They probably hear enough of it already." The kicking stopped almost as soon as it started but he didn't move his hand. He could still feel a trace of it against his palm. "Bubbles? Like indigestion but it pack a punch?" he grinned and bent down to kiss her neck. "Okay. The house. I know we need to figure this out. Is there a neighborhood you have in mind?"

Ella-05/21/2017

Ella couldn't help but laugh harder,"I don't know what you're talking about." She teased before nodding,"Yeah exactly. It feels pretty cool. I like that it lets me know they're doing okay in there." Ella gave a happy sigh at his kiss,"Well, I like the one where the new construction house would be but it's a little far from downtown if I decide to go back to work." That reminded her of something but she shelved the thought for later. "Your house is cute but it's not big enough and my house just isn't kid friendly. I think we really need to consider building and that way we can customize it however we want too."

James-05/21/2017

"I've never been in a house that was made from one of those plans. My first house was one my parents moved into before their marriage went to shit," He covered his mouth and said sorry before splitting into a grin. Not like he would actually change his language. Not until they were out. "Then my house now is even older." He picked up his drink and went for a sip. "How long does it take to get one of those built?"

Ella-05/21/2017

Ella's brows raised when he swore but she wore a grin to show she wasn't upset and giggled when he apologized. Ella shrugged, "Only a couple months. Maybe less if we get one where the frames already been put up and just needs finishes." She sighed,"I know it's a lot to think about but I do want to have some kind of plan." Ella propped her arms on his shoulders. "You know I'm a planner. Maybe annoyingly so."

James-05/21/2017

"That's all it takes? I thought they'd need more time than that." He swore the house down the way from here took twice that amount of time. Either someone was slacking or they got a good set of builders at he place Ella was eyeing. He wouldn't put it past her to find the nicest place to live in. "It is. A lot of this has been a big change. A year ago it was just me and ol' Rock. Sometimes I went out most of the times I stayed in. Now it's us and we got two on the way and talking about a new house and car. It's like life fast forwarded for both of us."

Ella-05/21/2017

"Well, I mean, I'm sure we could be persuasive." Ella mulled it over in her head, money talked after all. She nodded in agreement; it was true, life had done a 180 for Ella. One of the biggest including her job. "Speaking of change, I got a call back from that firm I was looking into. They said if I decide to leave, they want me." Ella ran her fingers along the collar of James' shirt. "All of these things together get me a bit anxious to be honest, but I just try to keep telling myself it's all good changes; The house , the car, the job, the babies..." Ella looked at him,"what about you? Are you happy with the changes?"

James-05/21/2017

"We? I think the pesuasive one out of this pair is you. I just sit in the back and look pretty," He chuckled and placed his now empty cup on the desk. "No shit? I knew that that firm would want you. You're good at what you do and the sooner you're away from him the better." he kissed her lips but pulled away for a moment, "How do you feel about that firm? Are they one you like?" He hated how Peter treated her and there was that ever-present anger associated with him, but James did what he could to move past it. She didn't want to press charges and didn't want him to do anything to him. No matter how hard he struggled. "I'm happy, El. A bit scared but it's nothing we can't handle. I need to work on getting the house ready to sell so we can have that money for the new place. And I don't want you stressing too much over everything. But I think most of my fear is about how things will be after they get here. Other than taking care of my sister I don't know much about babies."May 22, 2017

Ella-05/22/2017

Ella threw her head back,"Oh right right. You're the beauty in this relationship I forget." She laughed. Moving around to sit in his chair after he kissed her, she nodded, "I like them, I think I'd be a good fit. Taking a pay cut but." She shrugged. "I think it's worth it." Ella played aimlessly with the arm of the chair,"I haven't even told Peter I'm looking for a new job. I don't know how that's going to go when I give him my notice." The thought made her so uneasy but she tried not to let it show on her face. "Well I can always pay for it up front and we can sort out the rest after your house sells so we don't have to wait around?" She offered. But feeling that same fear about once the twins were here was something very real to Ella too. "Baby, I haven't even changed a diaper. Not one. Ever. I think we should sign up for those birthing classes they talked about ... I bet they'd help us feel more confident and the next course starts in two weeks. You in?"

James-05/22/2017

"How could you? I think I should write the words 'The Beautiful' on my plain white undershirts. To serve as a daily reminder." He waited until she was in his chair to walk around it. James lowered and wrapped his arms around her. "By the way I'm kidding. Theo's the beautiful one. Let's be real." James kissed the side of her head and went to sit in front of her. "When do you plan to deliver the news? I can only imagine a man like him won't take it well," Would he try to sabotage her? The idea wouldn't surprise James considering how he tries to power play Ella. "If you're okay with doing that, then I think that'll be the best route. Houses haven't been selling that well in the neighborhood so I pray mine doesn't sit there long." James fingered a hole in his coveralls, feeling the firmness of his thigh underneath. "Yeah. We should do it. The earlier we get on it the better."

Ella-05/22/2017

Ella laughed at his tshirt design and then harder at Theo,"Oh my God you two." But she sobered a bit at the thought of telling Peter. "I want you to be there - not in the room, but close." She wanted the security of him around, not that she thought Peter would go after her again while she was pregnant. Though she wondered if James could be close to where Peter was without issue. She tried to sort that in her head but couldn't. Ella looked up at him with a soft smile,"look at us making big decisions. I'll get in touch with the contractor soon then and call the Lamaze instructor and tell her that we're in."

James-05/22/2017

"Have I ever told you how much I love your laugh," he admitted with a grin. "It's half the reason I say the stupid shit I do. To get you to laugh." James moved from the desk and walked to the door to open and check on Theo, who was in his own world. He finished with Ella's car and went on to another project. The guy was fine on his own and James closed the door. "I'll be there. I want to make sure he doesn't say or do anything to hurt you or our kids." He'd more than likely be on the other side of the door listening in, not giving a shit if people think that's overly protective. If they knew the type of man they worked for they would think he was doing the right thing. Hell they probably did and didn't speak up. "So. What is that now, with all the new things going on. The babies. Selling our places. Buying a house. The move. Lamaze classes. You leaving work and starting at a new firm after maternity leave." He whistled and shook his head. "It's not even June yet."

Ella-05/22/2017

"You have and it always makes me smile." Ella grinned back. She watched as he moved about, wondering if she upset him talking about work and Peter. "I just don't want him to know you're there. I feel like that would make things worse." Unless of course he needed to step in then by all means. "And dont forget my Rover." Ella unsuccessfully bit on her lip to keep from smiling.

James-05/22/2017

James grabbed a chair and brought it over to place in front of El, reaching over to grab the arms of his office chair to roll her close. "So I'm like the invisible body guard?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. He wanted Peter to know he was there. He wanted the man to sweat. Still why would he? He didn't know James' past or the fights he'd get into. He was a total stranger to him. "You're right. With a man like him he needs to feel as if he has the upper hand." James knew the type. As dispicable as he was he needed to watch his step. Ella's situation was fragile. "Do you think this is how it's going to be from now all? One change after the next? Or will it eventually settle and we just work on enjoying the things we added to our lives?"

Ella-05/22/2017

"I just dont want any trouble and I feel like telling him I'm not coming back after the babies are here is already going to have him ready to fly off the handle." Ella looked at J, sure he could see the conflict of emotion in her eyes, "I still hate that he won." She confessed in a small voice. Ella shook her head, "No, I think once we nail down these big changes and adjust to a family of, Christ - four- things will settle down."

James-05/22/2017

"No, no. I get it. The macho part of me wants to flex my muscles and show him that you've got a support system. But I understand. You've gotta handle this the way that you know is best." James wanted to say something, about how it wasn't about winning because this was about her getting away from a toxic place with a man who didn't deserve to walk this Earth. "Fuck. Four of us. I can only imagine how things will get with you the closer you get to popping them out. I bet you'll want to nail my dick to a wall by the time the contractions hit."

Ella-05/22/2017

Ella grinned cheekily, " I do love the look of your muscles... But, no really, thank you for understanding, baby." She took her coffee and swirled it around before taking a sip, " I'm sure I will." Ella said with a big wide grin on her face. " To think I'm this big half way there... " she made a face. " I'm going to have you get fixed."

James-05/22/2017

"I think I have at least a set of triplets in me. Maybe after that you can have me snipped," he said as a means to make their conversation light again. Unless his comment warranted the rest of her drink on the top of his head. "I do want to be understanding, El. You've been at that firm much longer than you've known me. You've created connections with coworkers and clients. Your boss may be a prick but I don't what him, or my anger, to jeapordize anything you've worked so hard for."

Ella-05/22/2017

"Dont you even fucking joke!" Ella gasped with wide eyes. The thought of two children was daunting enough she couldnt even imagine having more, at least not currently, but that got her curious. "Do you actually want more than two kids? You can be honest. I promise I wont castrate you in your office." Ella nodded, appreciating his sentiments, "Thank you, truly, but if its okay with you, I really cant talk about it just yet? Everything still kinda stings and knowing he has ... sensitive material of me ." Ella couldn't finish that through and she didnt want to make things awkward but the truth was this crushed her. Sitting up, Ella smoothed out her dress. "So, are you getting together with Chet or whatever his name is? What did you say to him?" she asked bringing their convo full circle.(edited)May 24, 2017

James-05/24/2017

"The look on your face just now is what makes it easy to joke with you," he said, giving her knee a squeeze before leaning back in his chair. "I think two is plenty. Most people spread them out but we're getting them in one go. Any more than that?" He shrugged. "I think that's more as a we'll see how we are after the babies are a few years old." James rubbed the side of his face in thought while he spoke but his eyes fell on her, shifting from the family talk. "When you're ready to go into it, know I'm here for you, El. And no. I might see him at the bar but I'm keeping our private lives to ourselves. He and try to pry all he wants. This is to keep things from getting out of hand."

Ella-05/24/2017

"How we are meaning if we survive them? Good plan." Ella laughed, but wasn't entirely kidding. Ella gave a nod at what James said about his friend, she felt like that was probably best too.

James-05/24/2017

"Pretty much the only plan we got," he took the cup from her hand and gave Ella a tug on the wrist to sit on his lap. He leaned back to make it easier for her. "We've got this, El. We're people who know how to get things done and we have a lot of love and patience. Well. I have enough patience for the both of us." He'd probably get a hit from her with that one.

Ella-05/24/2017

Ella gave him a look and flicked his shoulder,"Shut up." She smirked, leaning in closer to his face,"Gimme some sugar." Ella closed the space between their mouths and kissed his soft full lips, feeling the scratch of his beard. "I love you and I know we got this." She went in for another kiss, longer and deeper this time.

James-05/24/2017

James laughed initially into the kiss but it soon slipped away and he place a hand onto her stomach, riding it out until she grew tired of his lips. If it were up to him they'd kiss all the damn time. He loved how good her lips felt against his. "I-" he was ready to say in the brief break and she was back on him and James rocked back laughing. And, as much as he didn't want to do this, he had to asked, "Are you done with the day? I want to grill some steaks and enjoy the weather. It's a nice enough day for it."

Ella-05/24/2017

A small whimper left Ellas mouth when he pulled away and while he spoke she kissed at his sharp jaw line and down his neck. " I have some depositions I need to review because I have a few meetings tomorrow but other than that I'm free." she managed to speak in between kisses. "Steak sounds good. Maybe some grilled peppers too. And watermelon." Ella listed a new food after each kiss, "Hostess Cupcakes and salt and vinegar chips - the wavy kind."May 26, 2017

James-05/26/2017

"Can you do those at home or do you have to go back to the office?" James wanted her to spend as little time there as possible and knowing she went in everyday caused him to fight with the urge to keep close by. Just in case. "Please tell me you're eating all of this separately and not mashing it into a glob of food."

Ella-05/26/2017

"I can review them at home tonight but I have to be in office for the meetings tomorrow." Knowing that unsettled him she clarified,"I'll be with a bunch of people and Peter probably won't even be in." She kissed his cheek,"well I won't be eating any of it if my baby daddy doesn't go and get them for me?" She gave him her sweetest grin.

James-05/26/2017

James relaxed. It felt good to have someone who understood where you came from and what your concerned were. He and Brandi weren't compatible and they had a few colorful arguments due to how they just didn't sync. They were fine as friends but even that was strained at times. Especially now. "Is baby daddy a new name for me?" He asked as he went to kiss her neck.

Ella-05/26/2017

"I mean, it sounds more endearing then Sugar Daddy." Ella grinned, leaning into his kiss.May 28, 2017

James-05/28/2017

"Besides Sugar Daddy is those overly sweet caramel candy on a stick. If I'm to be named after a candy I prefer something better." He took her kiss and started to get to his feet. "Theo finished with your car awhile ago. I wanted to keep you here with me longer."

Ella-05/28/2017

"Those will rip your teeth out but I used to love them. " Ella thought back fondly. She slipped off of James lap to let him stand and smiled adoringly at her boyfriend,"aw you're too sweet Mr. Harrington. Will I see you at your house soon then? And maybe we can try to get these babies to move for us again.." Ella placed a hand a top her belly.

James-05/28/2017

"Now I can't feel the image of you eating one of those out of my head," he chuckled because it seemed like it would be sexy up until she takes a bite from it. "If you head there now I might be half an hour. I need to get groceries." James leaned against the door and tapped his finger to his lips. "You should lay a couple on me before you leave."

Ella-05/28/2017

Ella grinned and paused long enough to give J a few pecks on the lips. "I'll text you my list." She continued walking out, "love you! Bye Theo!" And carefully got back in her car.

James-05/28/2017

James watched her as she walked away, eyes on Ella's ass the whole time before she rounded the car and went right to the driver's side door. He gave her a wave and watched until she pulled out completely. When it was only him and Theo left he said, "Let's call it an early day. Wrap up what you're doing and get back to it tomorrow morning." James returned to his office and shut down his computer and grabbed his keys. He tossed their coffees in the trash and went out the garage door; where Theo was waiting. They said their goodbyes, and James stuck around to make sure everything was locked tight before he headed to the store to buy what was needed for the barbque, plus the other items Ella's been craving.

#para: ella #//will edit time/date stamp out later #also lets pretend this uploaded first #it was out of order on my discord app

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