It's that time of year again...By that I mean it's before Halloween and we all know after Halloween they put the Christmas decorations up in all the stores, at this point the last three months of the year are just like one giant Holiday season kind of the closing of the year so enough dilly dallying let's get into the final arc of this story.

So finally the night of the New Year's Eve Party arrived, it was a snowy night but not an absolute blizzard so all felt confident Jervis and Edward Nygma would have no problems getting here.

Ichabod had argued that he shouldn't to get all formal for this meeting with a jacket and everything and Pamela came to his side and argued that this should just be a casual get together.

"Besides..." Pamela said "...The girls should see what the army training has done for his physique! That he actually has biceps albeit small ones..."

Ichabod realized his mother was much more amiable whenever Marzipan wasn't in the room and Ichabod didn't like how she put emphisis on 'the girls' meaning Alice and Pandora as if she still had hope he might marry a human girl as if he hadn't put his foot down that he was marrying his Cat-Girl.

Before the guests came, Marzipan had a feeling that maybe she shouldn't show herself at the party, she particurally didn't want to meet Alice, the girl she replaced what would she say 'Sorry I know he was betrothed to you but he just likes me better?'

So she decided she would just stay upstairs in Ichabod's room and quietly occupy herself by reading books.

And that's where Ichabod found her, lieing on her stomach on the bed reading a book of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Ichabod quietly knocked on the doorframe to get her attention "Hey," He said softly "You OK?"

"Yeah..." Marzipan said with a sigh

Ichabod sighed, what he thought would be the moment he announced his engagment to all his old friends and show Marzipan off to the former Rogues and their children was deflating before his eyes and he realized in hindsight this was logically what was going to happen if he actually thought about it for a minute.

"I'm sorry..." He said "...I didn't realize Mum would still be so hostile to you, she just tolerates you and just barely...I never realized she was so invested in me marrying Harely's daughter..." The realazation that she was trying to live vicariously though him by having him marry Harley's daughter she would symbolically marry Harely gave him the Jibbilies as Bill would say.

"The important thing is your Father likes me." Marzipan said letting him know in no uncertain terms that she thought Jonathan was the better person.

"I also realzed I was rather foolish..." Ichabod said "...I thought this would be a glorious moment where I would announce our engagment to the former rogues and their children and I would show you off...And you realized how akward it would be for you to face Alice and her Father..." He had heard snatches from his panrents coversations, that they had told Jervis earlier this year and Jervis' reaction was not pleased that Ichabod had not only chosen a Humanimal over his daughter but a Tomboy Humanimal at that...He knew how Jervis, Victorian era standards gave him a preference for very femminine women so he imagined what he was thinking that Ichabod had a Perfect Golden Haired Princess and instead preferred a fat, foul mouthed thug of a girl?! But Ichabod realized that eventually the courting phase comes to an end and you actually have to live side by side together and Ichabod realized he wanted someone who could be strong in a tough situation and he liked Marzipan frank and blunt attitude, he liked a girl that you could feel comfortable in realeasing your morning flatulence when you first wake up.

"Ichabod it's OK." Marzipan said "I never know what to do at parties anyway I'd rather be here reading books, you enjoy the party with your old friends."

So just a cozy little character moment before the horror stories begin