-Author's note: I loved Leila, and I loved watching Harold play Mr. Mom. But what if he needed help and John was busy? Who else knows what to do with babies? Anyway, I ship Cinch hard (Carter-Finch) because Carter with John is just so obvious to everyone, and I've never been accused of being like everyone else. Don't get me wrong, I love the strong friendship between Joss and John, and I'll use it here, but it's just too... I don't know… cliché. Please let me know of any grammatical errors, or if anyone has any pointers for me (I'm new at this publishing thing).
I own nothing...-
"Come on, you have to eat. Open wide! Here comes the airplane!" Harold was sitting at his desk with Leila in her green and yellow high chair next to him. Bear was patiently waiting for something to drop onto the floor for him. John was tailing the newest number and Leila was pitching a fierce fit.
"Oh, I need help. This is just a little too much. Mr. Reese, I'll be out with Leila for a bit. I need to take care of some… errands." Harold looked at Leila with a curious expression before he hoisted himself up from his "ergonomic" computer chair to gather the extensive list of items an infant might require during a trip outside. Meanwhile, Bear was following Harold right at his heels, a habit that Harold was starting to abhor.
"Bear, sit." He immediately sat. "There is no way I can take you and Leila with me. It's just too much."
Harold put Leila's diaper bag together and strapped on the Baby Buggy. He readied a bottle for the grumpy infant and put her into the Buggy but not without a struggle.
"Leila, I need you to cooperate. Stop- stop kicking!" Harold practically had to tie the toddler down to get her into the holster. He threw the diaper bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. Bear followed close behind with his leash in his mouth. When Harold stopped at the door Bear dropped the leash at his feet. Harold could only sigh in defeat as he held his hand out for Bear to put the leash in it. He had to admit that Bear was something special and that he'd barely even notice the dog was going along with him.
He took the elevator to the exit of the head quarters that was deceptively under construction. Leila was happily sucking on the bottle and Bear was trotting along peacefully. Harold could only imagine how he looked to passersby. Here was a man in his 50's with a limp carrying a 6 month old and walking a trained canine assassin. He couldn't dwell on his situation too long as he made his way through the streets of New York.
Finally Harold ended up at the 8th Precinct of the NYPD. He found a nearly clean bench out front and retrieved his cell phone from his suit pocket. He dialed the number he had memorized so carefully. It rang twice before the tired voice of Joss Carter answered. His breath hitched as she said her standard greeting.
"Carter." Came her overworked, stern voice.
"Detective." Harold greeted just as curtly. He could hear her groan before she proceeded.
"Mr. Finch. What can I do for you today?" To anyone else's ears her tone would sound annoyed but Harold knew that she got a slight rush from helping the eccentric billionaire and their mutual friend. His lips twitched into a small smile.
"I need your help with something… personal." He knew she would start asking him twenty questions so he continued before she had the chance.
"Do you have a moment to discuss the matter? I'm near the station." He heard her usual even breathing speed up ever so slightly. "What exactly do you need help with?" Of course she was weary, he was being vague, which is usually a bad sign from him. "I'll explain it to you, rather show you, in person." That got the Detectives attention; she stood up from her desk and put her coat on.
"Where should we meet?"
"How about the benches out front, say now."
"On my way." Harold hung up and sighed. He glanced down at the unusually quiet infant. She was asleep, and drooling, with the bottle dangerously hanging over the edge of the carrier. Bear was sitting on alert at Harold's feet. He watched the city passing by with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Harold heard the sound of heels clicking on the pavement behind him. He twisted his upper back to get a glance behind him. Sure enough, Detective Carter was making her way towards the bench inhabited by the strange looking man in glasses. She had a sour look on her face as she approached but as soon as Harold stood and turned to face her, her expression brightened.
"Leila! What a surprise!" She cooed and awed at the gurgling infant, now alert and eager to please Joss.
"May I?" Joss held out her hand to signal that she wanted to hold Leila, Harold obliged. "Of course, here." Harold unsnapped some buckles and soon Leila was squirming happily in the detective's arms.
"Oh, you have grown! Look at you, so beautiful!" Harold watched the scene before him with great amusement. Joss seemed alive as she held the baby girl and the toddler seemed so at ease in her arms.
"If only she were that nice to me." Joss shifted Leila to one hip to talk to Harold. "What's going on? Is she giving you a hard time?" Joss was being serious but she couldn't help but smile at a wriggling Leila. "I'm afraid it's more than a hard time." He started walking with Joss swiftly catching up. "It's more like a constant fight with her. She won't eat her strained food; she won't stay still for her diaper change, she cries, she screams. I seem to be overwhelmed with this new job. It was fine when we only had her a week but now that I watch her almost all day with small breaks with John I can't even think straight." They had stopped walking and were facing one another. Joss had stopped smiling at Leila and was listening intently to what Harold was saying. She knew how hard raising a baby was with two parents; she could only imagine what it was like for one person to do it.
"What can I do?" She asked, sensing that was the reason he was at her precinct and not something number related. Harold was immediately relieved. He was beginning to feel a little embarrassed about needing help with Leila but Joss had a way of making him feel relaxed. Joss turned her attention back to Leila when the infant had started to tug on her gold hoop earring. "Stop that, baby." She quickly pulled the earring out of her ear and slipped it into her coat pocket. Leila just gurgled and watched Joss's face. "You are too precious." Joss gave Leila a peck on the top of the baby's soft head. Harold watched them with great happiness and knew that he had come to the right person.
"I need help taking care of her. And John-" Joss held up her hand to stop him.
"Say no more. I know he's saved Leila before but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew I said no and that man would be responsible for her." Joss gave Harold an exasperated sigh and smiled at him. Harold just looked relieved. "And besides, I love seeing this little bug." She smiled down at Leila, who was trying to wriggle out of Joss' hold and reach for Bear at the same time. A thought passed through Joss. "What about work? What do I tell them?" Harold tilted his head in understanding. "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it." Joss furrowed her brows suspiciously. "I don't know if I like the sound of that." "Please, Detective, don't worry."
"Call me Joss." She smiled at him.
"Call me Harold." He reciprocated.
"Call me hungry, where are we eating today?" The unsuspecting duo jumped in surprise at the appearance of Fusco, who was already stuffing a donut into his face. "Got a call, partner. Homicide on 78th, two college students."
Joss' happy demeanor instantly shifted into her cold, emotionally guarded cop persona. She handed Leila back to Harold and scratched Bear's ear.
"I'm sorry Harold, I've got to go." She looked at him apologetically. Harold had a bit of a struggle getting Leila to go back into her carrier, and Joss stepped forward to help. The two held her down and strapped her in as she started to throw a crying fit. Harold gave Joss a look as if to say 'This is what I'm talking about!' and Joss shook her and smiled.
"What time should I be the- where exactly do I need to be?" Joss realized that she didn't even know where the man lived. She knew where one of his aliases lived, but he surely didn't live there full time. Harold raised an eyebrow, more at himself than at her question. He was usually more thorough than this, and now he found himself standing there without a clue.
"I'll pick you up at your place tomorrow morning" That bought him enough time to decide where he would ask her to come. He inwardly sighed to himself in relief. "Sounds good. See you tomorrow." "Later, Finch." The two detectives turned and walked to their squad car leaving Harold standing in the street with a crying infant and a drooling dog.
"What was that about?" Fusco asked, cleaning off the remaining donut from his fingers. Joss rolled her eyes as she started the engine. "He needs help with Leila. Not that it's any of your business." Fusco held his hands up in defense "Whoa. I was just askin'. What's up with the little angel? She too much for glasses?" He was turned towards her as well as he could. She faced him and sighed. "Harold is just stressed. I'm going to help him by taking care of Leila with him. You know how difficult babies are." "You don't have to tell me twice." His face looked as if he was reliving all of the traumatizing memories of parenting a newborn. "What about work?" Joss turned and looked out of the windshield. She trained her eyes on a pedestrian and answered, "He said he'd take care of it…" "Uh-oh. " "I know." When the pedestrian had successfully crossed the street she pulled the car out of the spot and drove towards the crime scene.
Harold left the station feeling a little dazed, the way he usually felt after an interaction with Detective Carter. He figured that now was as good a time as any to figure out where she would help him with Leila. There was no way she could know about the headquarters or the machine. He had to keep her safe from all of that.
The building situation had never been a problem for him. In fact, Harold rather liked living in a different house every few months, but with a baby that he was responsible for now he had to make his life more stable. Things were going to have to change for Leila's sake, a fact that he didn't really want to admit. Working with John was always going to have risks, of course, but there had to be a way to minimize them. That was something he was going to have to figure out later, right now he just needed a place that Leila could think of as home, for now at least. Harold caught a cab on back to headquarters. He slipped the cabbie a hundred dollar bill and hobbled up the steps to the front door. He did a quick check to make sure no one was watching and slipped in, locking the door behind him. Though it looked like it was under construction, he still got a few drifters and clerks sniffing around from time to time. Stepping off of the elevator, he unhooked Bears leash and the dog went lumbering to his water dish, happily sloshing water onto the floor. This was exactly the reason there happened to be a floor mat and a towel under the bowl. Leila was cooing and gurgling to herself, seeming to have a conversion with herself.
Harold placed her in her playpen and handed her a worn doll, which she promptly shook in her small fist. Harold's lips twitched into a small smile before turning around and slowly seating himself in the abomination of a computer chair. His fingers swiftly keyed in he daily password and he opened a file he had saved containing the addresses of the various properties he owned. He had organized the list based on function; business, residential, etc. His eyes scanned the document quickly until he had found the place he was looking for.
-This is one of my many plot bunny babies hopping in my head driving me loony so I had to release it out into the world. But, isn't Leila is just so freaking cute!-
