Jackie OH!
Does anyone remember the small demure Jackie who wouldn't be caught dead out of a turtle neck, don't worry avid royal watchers this Jackie stil exists, but over the last year we have come to see a different side of the young American.
Many have dubbed her the newest "royal rebel" and we here at the Hello! can see why the name has caught on. Webber's not one to shy away from skirts above the knee and exposed shoulders as seen at William's polo matches, and her latest engagement brings forth more evidence.
Webber braved the crowd all alone at Prince Williams graduation from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, her family was unable to accompany her, forcing her to sit amongst strangers.
She looked surprisingly fabulous while doing it though.
Wearing a long teal coat with a simple black dress underneath, a skull cap of all things, and some killer heeled boots that raised a few eyebrows.
Sadly, in the weeks following Webber returned to her go to picks of rock shirts, and sweatpants. We know you're working and dancing, but could you at least do so while looking fabulous? The curled pink tights under your shorts don't do you any favors, and neither does that slicked back ballet bun, add a part at least.
Little has been seen of Prince William and Webber as the holidays pass, but it's rumored they'll be flying to Illinois to have a belated Christmas with her family. Many are speculating a proposal will come from the mini vacation. The couple has been going strong for nearly two years, and if not this time then we're all sure an engagement is just around the corner.
We here at Hello! will keep you updated.
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January 1, 2007
Mornings in Villa Grove differed greatly from mornings in London.
Mornings in London meant waking up apart, one of them always rising and gone before the other. But their mornings in Villa Grove? Where there was nothing to do, but be together and help out Jaclyn's family. They were irreplaceable.
William blinked in the morning sun that peaked through the blinds, and instinctively his arms wound around his girlfriend to shield her. At least he planned to until his hand was stopped by her knee pressed up to her face. He rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "only you, darling."
He'd come to realize over the last year and a half dating a dancer not only included showing up to her performances, or helping her stretch, but also getting jabbed in the gut while sleeping if she randomly decided to do a split while knocked out. Of course, Jaclyn being the heavy sleeper she was never noticed.
Carefully he pressed her knee back down to her side, she would spend all day complaining about being sore if he didn't, but before he could pull her closer to him Jaclyn rolled and nuzzled into his chest still perfectly sound asleep.
Warmth radiated from his heart swelling in flutters, even after so much time this feeling of being so close completely undid him.
There was something about the bliss that covered her face compared to the craziness that was her hair. He would never stop admiring how perfect she was like this, eyelids closed peacefully, her face half buried in his side while her knotted curls stood on their own in a sculpture like way.
She was soft, but oh so wild.
Before he could get too comfortable the door to Jaclyn's old bedroom swung open, followed by the sound of anxious nails skidding down the wood floor of the hall. Caleb came bursting in and right on his heels was Mara Jade, or MJ, the stray pitbull puppy Michelle had adopted a few months ago.
Caleb sprinted on his short legs to William's side of the bed clawing at the blankets to be let up, too short and scrawny to do so himself. In the same moment that William pulled the little boy up and hugged him tightly, Mara had sprinted across the room using her speed to leap onto the bed attacking his girlfriend instantly.
"Mara Jade!" Jaclyn gasped, eyes still closed as she tried to fight back against the puppy. The dogs tongue was darting in and out covering Jaclyn head to toe in kisses as she pranced on top of her. William had to hold Caleb back, who was giggling and wanted to join in on the fun.
"William help!"
Now he laughed, "she's a puppy, Jac."
"A puppy with sharp claws!"
Covering up his laughter William managed to push Mara off the bed and keep Kaleb away from her claws, but once the dog was scampering off to bother someone else the little boy completely forgot about William. Instead he jumped on his sister, who was still lying down, and clung to her like a leech.
Jaclyn wasn't at all bothered, and instead pulled him closer draping her long and tangled over her shoulder for Caleb to to play with. He loved the smell or texture of her hair, whatever it was it always served as a comfort to hide behind or play with.
With a little coaxing William was able to get both siblings up and walking to the kitchen where he knew breakfast was waiting.
"Ugh, my hip is sore," Jaclyn winced adjusting Caleb in her arms so she could pop her hips.
William grimaced, "I wonder why."
By the time they reached the kitchen both of Jaclyn's grandma's were setting the table for breakfast, Michelle was already going over the layout of plants for the spring with her grandfather, and Brad was holding Mara in his arms like a baby finishing up the scrambled eggs. The house had only ever housed four people at a time, so with Jaclyn and him visiting and her Grandma Janet and Papa Larry coming over to see her it felt like it was busting at the seams.
But William loved every second of it.
Jaclyn set Kaleb down in his chair, and William went to help Brad set the table with the eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
"You know for someone who didn't want a dog you've grown awfully attached to her," Jaclyn yawned, eyeing her father and the black and white pitbull puppy. The two men finished and everyone took their seats.
"Well she listens better than you." As if to prove his point Mara wiggled from his arms and raced to the window barking her head off at the birds outside.
"Where did you come up with Mara Jade anyways?" William asked.
"Well it has a double meaning, MJ is Spiderman's girlfriend, but Mara Jade is Luke Skywalker's wife from the Star Wars books," Michelle explained, joining them at the table. They all watched completely amused by Caleb as he all but growled at his scrambled eggs, and Brad and Michelle both signed for him to eat.
Glenda followed her, "How'd you too sleep? I can't imagine sharing Jac's old bed is very comfortable."
"It wouldn't have been that bad if Jac wasn't such a bed hog." In truthfulness he loved this quirk just as much as he loved her others.
"I didn't do anything!"
"My bruised ribcage begs to differ," instinctively his hands rubbed the spot where she kneed him sometime last night.
"You're the one that wanted her William, and we don't accept refunds." It was a joke, but Brad's voice was always so nonchalant, William could barely tell. No matter what his eyes always seemed to be looking into you with a pointed glare, so it was no secret that William found Jaclyn's dad to be really intimidating. "Sir, I wouldn't want to even if I could."
With those simple words Jaclyn burned red, bashfully shovelling some her father's homemade pancakes into her mouth.
"What do you two have planned for the week?" Glenda asked, as she fixed her own vegan breakfast, because according to her, her son in laws food could not be trusted. However, in William's opinion Mr. Webber's breakfast was hard to top.
"Nothing much, we're going to the scrimmage tommorow night, and meeting up with Nat and Leo. Other than that I think we're just going to try and relax."
Her grandfathers hearty laugh stopped her, "do you two know how to relax."
And that got everyone laughing as they continued to eat.
Done with his meal, Caleb started jumping in his seat managing to sign "more" to everyone as he grinned excitedly. Jaclyn just had to burst his bubble.
"Eat," she tapped her fingers to her mouth, "your eggs." And like a classic little brother he, in one motion threw them at her, squealing uncontrollably at the same time. Through her laughter Michelle tried to pick up the scrambled eggs up with Jaclyn, but with everyone focused on the oldest Webber child no one noticed Janet slip her grandson more pancakes.
Of course not until the chaos calmed down, and there Caleb sat happily munching on his pancakes.
"We're so sorry we weren't able to make it for your graduation, but if we're going to spend so much time in England this summer we had to save," Michelle said as she managed to ease her voice back down from it's high. At this point with a son like Caleb she could either laugh or cry.
"It's okay Mrs. Webber, really I completely understand," William explained, and grinned as the woman chastised him for not calling her Michelle
"Still, I wasn't completely fond of how all those people were gawking at ya," Janet sighed, gazing sadly at her lovely granddaughter, "You looked so alone."
"It wasn't that bad, Charles said it was just another demonstration of my strength." However, William could see that she still didn't believe these words.
"He's not always right, but this time he is," if only you could see it William thought, "and how could they not stare at you? You looked breathtaking."
There was that bashful smile accompanied by her rosy blush
"Last time we saw ya, you were still hoping to serve. Is that still a possibility?"
"Papa Larry..." Jaclyn tried to stop him.
"I'm still determined to see active service, but it seems a lot people are still against the idea." The gleam in her eyes diminished as he turned to her as if saying she was one of those people. She was just concerned.
"Can't blame them considering who you are."
"Lots of future kings served-"
"Let's not have this conversation right now," Jaclyn stopped. The edge to her voice warning him to slam the brakes on the conversation, which is what she had been doing for the past few weeks every time someone brought deployment up.
"How's the planning for your mother's concert coming?" Michelle asked, her smile saying she thought this would be a good conversation switch.
When neither Jaclyn or William answered immediately, Glenda stepped in planning to make a joke. "We're very excited, although a little surprised Jac wasn't on the list of performers."
"Honestly I was just as surprised, I offered-"
"And I said The English National Ballet won't like having a competitor dancing with them," Jaclyn stopped him.
"That's why I offered you a solo."
"Yes, that would go over so much better," she laughed, and her tone and smile spoke of her teasing, but the glare of her eyes said so much more. "I don't want people thinking I'm getting rewarded just for being your girlfriend."
"Mum, would want you to be apart of the concert," but the second he said those words the whole kitchen died of any other chatter. All eyes awkwardly turned to their food, and for the rest of the meal they made idle smalltalk, but nothing more.
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Jaclyn's body vibrated, shivered in the chilled air, but that wasn't what was causing her heart to somersault. She listened closly to everything Ms. Lewis said over the phone, her eyes fixated on William pulling the bagged trees her dad had asked them to move.
"Yes, thank you ma'am for letting me know," Jaclyn mumbled and hung up, but still held on to her shock. The snow covering the ground was blinding and the cold felt like a mere tickle now that her head was swimming with much more important information.
"Last I checked this was your family business, yet I'm the only one hauling dead trees," he laughed, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. They were both decked out in winter gear, protection from the numbing temperatures, but she missed the feeling of his hands. That skin on skin contact seemed necessary right now to make everything feel real.
"They're not dead William, they're just in dormancy meaning their energy has slowed down, but if you look closely you can see the leaf buds." Her voice spoke, but it was clear her mind was now miles away.
"I love it when you talk plants to me," and at first William didn't notice kissing her cheek, but her face didn't flare with color as it usually did, and her eyes were fixated somewhere far away.
"Is everything alright?"
And then all at once her news came out, but she still doubted if it was real.
"I've been nominated for the UK's National Dance Awards for the best female dancer." Her voice carried that same void tone that her eyes held, but William cradled her chin in his gloves hands forcing her to focus in on him.
"Darling that's amazing, you're amazing!"
And then it hit her, his excitement slowly warming her back up, that this was actually real, and her hands moved his from her face so she could squeeze them. The shock wore off and fireworks might as well have gone off behind her head as her excitement slowly bubbled over.
"I've actually been nominated for the best female dancer!" She gasped her excitement uncontrollable as she started to jump around like a child. Her grip on William's hands stayed firm because she wasn't going to let him go.
"Why do you seem so surprised?"
Because growing up her eyes never saw beyond the cornfields surrounding Villa Grove, her destiny seemed aligned with performing in Chicago at best. Which was amazing in itself, but it always seemed her heart was being tugged farther away, the wind taking it east with possibility.
That was years ago, and still there were nights where she woke up half expecting to be back in her old life, only to see William still beside her.
Suddenly her feet were inches above the ground, William spinning her around in the foot of snow they stood in. His smile was brighter than that very snow, and his laugh was a song she could listen to forever.
"This is just so perfect," she blurted, as he set her back down. The sun poked through the forest behind the shop, making it one of those brightly white days, but nothing was as searing as the feeling of his eyes skimming downwards.
And in the wide open, their task completely forgotten, William pulled Jaclyn closer and kissed her like it was the first time all over again. Her eyes clenched shut, and her hands grasped his shoulders as his folded into the pockets of her snow pants.
"There's a lot we need to talk," Jaclyn breathed, rocking forward on her toes so their foreheads still touched.
"And we will, but just a few more days of peace," and he kissed her one more time.
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Hey guys! Part II! Sorry this chapter sucks, I'm terrible at writing first chapters, but I hope you still like it all the same. This part will specifically focus on Jac and Will growing in their relationship and the hardships they have to face to fully be accepted.
I hope you like it and let me know what you think!