Chapter Text
Isobel sat in her car outside Jubal’s parents house, gripping the steering wheel like it was a lifeline. She could handle interrogating suspects, talking down criminals, and deciphering coded messages—but meeting her semi-secret boyfriend of 8 months family That was next-level terrifying.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Jubal: "Are you coming in, or do I have to send a rescue team?"
She exhaled dramatically and typed back: "Is it too late to fake an emergency at work?"
"Yes. My mom is literally watching the window. She saw your car pull up. There’s no escape, Castille."
Wonderful! She grabbed her bag, took one last deep breath, and stepped out.
Jubal opened the door before she even knocked. "Took you long enough." He leaned in, kissing her lightly, his signature smirk in place.
She rolled her eyes. "Just mentally preparing for the Valentine circus."
"Hey, you’ve already met Tyler and Abby," he pointed out.
"Yes, and they love me," she said smugly. "It’s your mother I’m worried about."
"Fair."
Before she could say more, a woman with striking silver hair and an uncanny resemblance to Jubal practically lunged at her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh, finally! The mystery woman!" Katherine Valentine squealed, squeezing Isobel so tightly she almost lost her balance. "I thought Jubal made you up, honestly. You look even more beautiful in person than he described! No wonder he kept you all to himself."
"Mom," Jubal sighed, prying his mother off Isobel. "Give her a chance to breathe before you start interrogating her."
Katherine scoffed. "I’m just saying, I have a Pinterest board ready, wedding ideas!"
Isobel laughed nervously. "Good to know."
Jubal’s father, a quiet but sharp-eyed man named Henry, walked in with two cups of coffee. He handed one to his wife before giving Isobel a small nod. "Welcome. I assume my son warned you about the chaos?"
"Not nearly enough," she admitted, making him chuckle.
"Smart woman."
Tyler and Abigail, Jubal’s kids, strolled in at that moment. Unlike their grandmother, they were significantly calmer about Isobel’s presence.
"Grandma’s already got the wedding colours picked out," Tyler announced, shaking his head as he sat on the couch.
"Poor Isobel," Abigail sighed dramatically. "We should’ve warned you that once Grandma claims you, there’s no escape."
Jubal groaned. "You two are not helping."
Isobel grinned. "Actually, I think I’m going to enjoy this."
Katherine clapped her hands. "Perfect! Now, who’s hungry? I made lasagne!"
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Dinner started off well—until Katherine decided it was interrogation time.
"So, Isobel, tell me, do you see marriage in your future?"
Isobel, mid-bite, nearly choked. Jubal coughed loudly. "Mom, seriously?"
"What? A mother can ask!"
Tyler muttered, "Dad’s sweating."
Jubal glared. "I am not sweating."
Abigail smirked. "So, Isobel, do you like kids?"
Isobel met her gaze with an amused expression. "Love them. Especially the ones that don’t sell out their father at dinner."
Tyler snorted. "She’s good."
Katherine wasn’t done. "What about siblings? Any brothers or sisters?"
"Nope, just me," Isobel said, taking a sip of her wine.
Katherine hummed. "Ah, an only child. That explains the confidence. And what about your parents?"
Jubal shot his mother a look. "Mom."
Isobel, however, just shrugged. "My mother passed away when I was younger, and I’m not particularly close to my father."
Katherine softened a bit. "I’m sorry to hear that, dear. But that makes it even more important for you to have a strong support system."
Tyler, jumped in with a grin. "What made you join the FBI, was it future planning for nights like this?"
Isobel chuckled. "I like puzzles. And I like catching bad guys. Plus, I figured it would give me the best stories for family dinners."
Henry nodded approvingly. "Smart. So, any previous boyfriends we should know about?"
Jubal choked on his wine. "Dad!"
Isobel smirked. "Nothing scandalous, I promise. No kids, either, if that was going to be the next question."
Katherine leaned in. "But future kids maybe?"
Jubal groaned. "Mom, oh my God."
Isobel, delighting in his discomfort, tilted her head. "Possibly. Though, to be fair, we haven’t really discussed it."
Katherine clapped her hands together. "About time you did! Honestly, Jubal, what have you two been talking about if not important things like marriage and children? Weather? Crime statistics?"
Jubal buried his face in his hands. "Mom, please. I am begging you."
Katherine sighed happily, turning to Henry. "Henry, we like her, don’t we?"
Henry, casually sipping his wine, nodded. "We do. She’s sharp."
"Well, that settles it," Katherine announced. "You’re family now."
Isobel blinked. "That was… fast."
Jubal groaned. "Mom, you can’t just declare things like that—"
"Too late," Abigail said. "You’re officially one of us."
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Just as the post-dinner lull was settling in, the doorbell rang.
Jubal groaned. "And here we go."
"Who is it?" Isobel asked, trying not to sound too nervous.
"My brother" Jubal muttered. "Brace yourself."
Before she could process that warning, the front door swung open, and in strode a tall, broad-shouldered man with the same sharp jawline as Jubal. Jake Valentine, in all his effortlessly charming glory, was grinning as he shook off his coat.
"Alright, where’s this woman my dear brother has somehow convinced to tolerate him?" he called out.
Jubal rolled his eyes. "Jake, this is Isobel. Isobel, Jake. Try not to embarrass yourself."
Jake’s eyes landed on Isobel, and his grin faltered for a split second before turning into something far too familiar mischief.
"Wait a second," Jake said slowly, pointing at her. "I know you."
Isobel narrowed her eyes. "Do you?"
"Oh, you absolutely do," Jake replied, leaning on the back of a chair. "We met at that fundraiser last year. You were with the FBI table. And, if memory serves, I may have tried to buy you a drink."
Jubal froze. "Excuse me?"
Isobel smirked, crossing her arms. "Oh, you did. You were very persistent."
Abigail gasped dramatically. "Uncle Jake, you hit on Isobel?"
Tyler snickered. "This is getting good."
Jake held up his hands in surrender. "In my defence, she was charming, and I had no idea she would one day become my dear brother’s better half. I might add that she turned me down very politely."
Isobel nodded. "I did. You said something about how an FBI agent and a firefighter would make an unstoppable power couple."
Jubal’s head snapped toward his brother. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."
Katherine, already enjoying the drama, leaned forward. "And what did you say to that, dear?"
Isobel shrugged. "I told him I don’t date firefighters. Too much chaos."
The room erupted into laughter as Jake clutched his chest in mock offense. "Ouch. Right to the ego. And yet, here you are, dating the most chaotic Valentine of all."
Jubal shook his head. "If I didn’t have a full glass, I’d throw it at you."
Jake winked. "That’s the brotherly love I was expecting."
Abigail turned to Isobel, smirking. "So, your dad’s boss and his girlfriend—how does that work exactly?"
Isobel groaned, rubbing her temples. "Oh, we’re really going there, huh?"
Tyler nodded. "I mean, it’s gotta be weird, right?"
Jubal interjected. "We are not discussing my workplace dynamics at the dinner table."
Jake raised a brow. "What’s wrong, bro? Afraid of a little scrutiny?"
Katherine clapped her hands. "Now, now. As long as my future daughter-in-law—"
"Mom," Jubal warned.
"—is happy, I don’t care about office politics. But let’s be honest, Isobel, you probably do all the work while my son takes the credit."
Isobel bit her lip to keep from laughing as Jubal looked truly betrayed. "Excuse me?"
Henry, who had been silent but observant as always, nodded in agreement. "She’s got you there, son."
Jubal threw his hands in the air. "Unbelievable. My own family."
Jake patted his brother’s shoulder. "Relax, man. We’re just glad you finally landed someone way out of your league."
Isobel chuckled, raising her glass. "Cheers to that."
The rest of the night was filled with even more teasing, laughter, and, to Jubal’s dismay, Jake and Isobel recalling every detail of their past interaction, much to the kids’ delight.
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As they finally wrapped up for the night, Isobel found herself sitting beside Jubal again, this time on the couch while everyone else slowly drifted away to bed or the movie.
Jubal sighed. "Well, that was… something."
Isobel leaned her head against his shoulder. "I think your brother is my new favourite Valentine."
Jubal groaned. "You wound me, Castille."
She laughed, taking his hand. "Seriously, though, I had fun. Your family is… insane, but in the best way."
He kissed her temple. "Told you they’d love you."
She smirked. "I’d say ‘I love them too,’ but your mother already declared me part of the family. I don’t think I had a choice."
Jubal chuckled. "Nope. Welcome to the madness."
And as she curled up beside him, she found that she didn’t mind the madness one bit.
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After the whirlwind of dinner and family interrogations, Jubal led Isobel upstairs to the guest room his mother had set up. The moment he opened the door, Isobel stopped short, biting her lip to keep from laughing.
Stepping inside Jubal groaned. "Of course she did."
The room was neat and cozy, the bed covered in a quilt that screamed ‘loving mother who refuses to let go.’ But what caught Isobel’s attention were the strategically placed family photo albums stacked neatly on the nightstand, a few more subtly left open on the dresser. Next to them was an old high school yearbook—conveniently flipped to a page featuring a much younger Jubal in all his awkward teenage glory.
Isobel smirked, picking up the yearbook. "Well, well. Let’s see what young Jubal was like."
"Nope," Jubal said quickly, grabbing it from her hands. "We are not doing this."
She raised a brow. "Oh, we’re absolutely doing this."
She managed to snatch another album before he could intervene, flipping it open. Inside were photos of Jubal through various stages of life—baby pictures with an almost comically serious expression, an unfortunate middle school bowl cut, and an early firefighter training photo where he was clearly trying too hard to look tough.
Isobel grinned. "Oh, this is gold. I need copies of these."
Jubal sighed, flopping onto the bed. "My mother has no shame. She’s been waiting for this moment."
She sat beside him, still flipping through the album. "I have to admit, you were a cute kid. Very intense, though. Did you come out of the womb already brooding?"
"Pretty sure my first words were ‘I got this,’" he deadpanned.
She burst out laughing, setting the album aside. "I like seeing this side of you. The one your family sees."
Jubal glanced over at her, his expression softer now. "You handled them really well tonight. My mom, my brother, even the kids ganging up on me."
She smirked. "Well, I like a challenge. And I like them."
He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Good. Because I really like you. And I like having you here."
She squeezed his hand. "Even if I now have blackmail material?"
He sighed dramatically. "That part I could live without."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Isobel chuckled. "I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings."
Jubal groaned. "Knowing my mother? More emotional ambushes and possibly a slideshow."
She grinned. "Bring it on."