75 Godiva, Monday

[vdistinctive]

The Leverage team had been in Fandom more than long enough to know exactly what came after the school prom. Eliot's anticipation of seeing Spike and Gracie again had been tempered by his dread over whatever fresh hell of a revelation of his alternate selves' sex lives. He'd already met a daughter some version of him had had with Sterling, for chrissake, but he knew better to think the island couldn't somehow top that.

But Saturday morning had come and gone, and no "you don't get to be with your partners in my universe" child arrived to taunt him. And it turned out, spending time with a couple kids who belonged to all three of them was really nice.

He leaned back on the couch with his coffee, a giant spread of brunch foods arranged on the coffee table, the end tables, and pretty much every other flat surface not currently occupied by a piece of Hardison's tech (yeah, Eliot lost that battle before it ever began), and watched as Hardison finished setting up a video link to Kathy. Parker was perched on the back of the couch next to him, her knee touching his shoulder, looking about as happy and relaxed as he'd ever seen her, and not just because her mouth was full of chocolate cereal. The kids were sprawled on either side of them, teasing and poking each other in a way that reminded Eliot so much of himself and Trudy as kids it almost hurt. Somehow, after everything, he'd still managed to end up with a family. A large one, even. He could get used to this.

He bit his lip thoughtfully, and took a long sip of his coffee.

Maybe he should start taking steps to make sure he got the chance.

[for the fam, and slow play. AU KIDS!]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

On the screen, the picture of Kathy from Hardison's phone turned into the real thing, the video turning on as soon as she answered. "Hello? Oh! Hi family!" she beamed.

[vdistinctive]

"Hey darlin'," Eliot greeted, a broad smile on his face. "How're the kids?"

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy's face was a mix of that pure joy of having something you really wanted, with a little bit of the pain that said it was all temporary. "They're ridiculous," she said. "I've got three this time, and kinda playing step-mom to a fourth."

At least in her own mind, what Tiger thought of her was up in the air.

"But Zeke could charm the birds off the tree if he wanted to, and Evie is so smart and is 11 going on 19, I swear to god, and Carys is so much bigger than she was the other times she visited and is just her own little person. It's killing me."

Seriously, her heart was breaking at the thought of sending them all home.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot knew how she felt. Possibly even more than usual.

"Step-mom, huh?" he said. He looked over at Ada. "What do you think of that, kiddo? You're those kids' auntie, this weekend."

It was probably much more fun to be an auntie at a young age than a granddad.

[my2dads]

Ada gasped and grinned. "Oh my gosh!" she said, wide-eyed. "I'm an auntie!"

Kathy chuckled. "You are," she confirmed. "I'm bringing the kids to Fast Eddie's in a little bit, if y'all wanted to come over and get to know them with an excessive amount of SP."

[vdistinctive]

"What, the arcade?" Eliot eyed the kids again. "Nahhhhhh. No way anyone here'd be into that."

He was going to be such an obnoxious father when he was finally raising young kids of his own.

[stoleafamily]

Spike leaned in from an angle, grinning at Kathy. "Don't listen to him, he's old, he's going deaf, he thought you said parade. Are there any my age? And wow it's weird to almost be your age this time."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy cracked up at that. "Hi Spike," she said, grinning. "You know, I was worrying about his hearing. I'm glad he's got you to explain things to him, louder and slower till he understands."

She turned her phone so they could see Zeke, who was teasing one of his sisters. "Zeke's about your age, I think."

Hearing his name, Zeke looked up and waved calling, "I'm the best one."

There were several aghast squeals at that. "You are not!" "He is not!"

Kathy laughed. "And that's Evie and Carys, who are finding they have a lot of things in common."

"Like thinking our brother's a brat!"

[vdistinctive]

"'Course he is," Eliot said. "It's the best part of bein' a brother. Just ask your great-aunt Trudy."

Holy crap, he was so finding a way to tell Tru about being a great-aunt.

[my2dads]

"That's true," Ada said with a long sigh. "Just ask Spike. Three generations of brats all in one place."

[vdistinctive]

"Sounds like a good time to me," Eliot said. "Think maybe we should hit up this parade after all."

[my2dads]

"Can we?" Ada asked, all big eyes. "I promise not to hack any of the machines for tickets!"

...Again.

[vdistinctive]

"They have ticket machines at parades, these days?"

Call him deaf, would she. . . .

[spin_kick_snap]

"Ticker tape parades, Dad, just like when you were little," Kathy teased.

Kids had to stick together against their parents, it was a rule.

[vdistinctive]

"You think she's too little?" Eliot asked. Girls. He'd been messing with parents since well before either of you was born. "Aww, that's too bad. Sorry, Gracie."

[stoleafamily]

"Nooooooo!" Spike mourned, then stood behind Ada and made his voice a falsetto, hiding his face in her hair. "How can you do that to me, Daddy? When I'm so genius and tiny and cute? How can you resist this face?"

...this was something Spike had clearly been doing since before Ada could talk for herself.

[my2dads]

Ada was giggling, her hands over her mouth. "Yeah, Daddy, listen to Spi-me!"