Out in the open

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Hearing the loud hoots of the family owl, Cyndi reached out to open the window above the sink where she was washing up the breakfast dishes. Magic would have made the job easier, but Cyndi enjoyed the process of cleaning the plates herself. It was her alone time in a house that was delightfully busy with boys running around on broomsticks. Without stopping, the woman called out to the curly haired boy riding past. "Noah! Stop that right now. You know you aren't supposed to do that in here!" As a 'Sorry Mommy' soared past her, Cyndi shook her head, her gaze falling to the owl that was still patiently awaiting its treat. Having caught her eye, it let out another hoot.

Drying her hands, Cyndi reached for the jar where they kept owl treats and took out two. She gave them to the Barn Owl and took the Daily Prophet, glancing at the lead article, her eyes widening as she rushed into the living room. "Caaaaam?" she called out, excitement in her voice as she clutched the newspaper with whitening knuckles. Where was the man of the hour? As her son soared by, toes grazing the carpet, Cyndi didn't bother to scold him. "Noah...tell Daddy that Mommy has a surprise for him." Their little boy soared past, happy that he wasn't getting yelled at again and eager to get to his task. Cyndi glanced down at the pictures of the four candidates, her heart beating quickly at the sudden rush of nerves she was feeling for her husband. This was really happening.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron was drying off his face with a clean towel as he prepared for the day. He had the day off surprisingly, and he was going to take his family to the aquarium for a visit. The boys loved to look at the fish, and Cameron always enjoyed spending time with his wife and children whenever he had the opportunity. He folded the towel and placed it on the side of the counter as Noah came zooming upstairs, shouting for his father. "Daddy! Mommy has a surprise for you downstairs!" Noah said excitedly. Cameron chuckled and ruffled Noah's hair. "I guess we better go see what it is then, huh buddy?" He said with a smile before heading downstairs.

Cameron found his wife standing by the open window with what appeared to be the newspaper. "What's my surprise?" Cam asked with a grin as he approached Cyndi. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before wrapping his arms around her and waiting for her to let him in on the surprise.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi took in the view from their window, the grass on the lawn, their blue mailbox. It was all so normal and quiet. She knew that this would be the last time they'd enjoy that quiet for a while. It was something that she and her husband had spoken about back when he'd been thinking of running and they were prepared. They had to be. As her husband stepped into the room and spoke, Cyndi turned, newspaper still clutched in her hand and a growing smile on her face. She loved the man standing before her so much. As he held her in his arms, the woman leaned her head against his chest, enjoying the moment before taking a step away from him so she could hold the paper up between them.

"Look" she stated, brown eyes twinkling. She pushed the paper into his free hands, her fingers moving around to match her nerves as she watched him. "It's official" she breathed. The pair had spoken a lot about this over the past few months, alone at night after the boys had gone to bed, via owl while she'd been at work, and with each of their families. "How does it feel, Candidate Kingsley?" she asked, a smirk on her face. Noah, who had been moving around the room, his feet still skimming the floor, stopped in front of his father and looked up at the object that was taking up so much of his parents' attention. "Ooh...Daddy that's you! Look Jakey..Daddy is there!" he yelled out to his baby brother who was seated on the floor of the living room with a toy dragon.