There's No Price On Me
Chapter 1: Settle
Pairing(s): Leonard Church/Allison Church, Leonard Church/Aiden Price, Leonard Church/Allison Church/Aiden Price, etc.
Description: Aiden Price has just signed up to move in with Leonard and Allison Church in Austin, Texas. Leonard is a scientist, Aiden is between jobs, and Allison is a soldier. The war gets bad, so Allison goes and Aiden and Leonard wait for her. When she doesn't come back, Aiden signs up for a lot more than just being a roommate.
A/N: I've had this written up for months, but I feel since today was my last day of school for the year that I should post it today! Hope you all like it, it's one of my prouder works!
"Do I really need to sign this?" Aiden Price stared down at the large, almost frightening binder, which was opened to the first document: it was more or less a contract.
"Well, I fucking expect you to." Leonard Church sassed back, giving the slightly shorter man a harsh glare. "It's the roommate agreement. If you don't like it, then you can walk out right fucking now."
"Leo-" Came Allison Church's voice, dangerous and threatening as she glared at him from her seat on the couch. "-Shut the fuck up and lay off. No one cares about your shitty roommate agreement."
The three adults were in the sitting room of a large, luxurious house in Austin, Texas. The air was hot and humid, the summertime air seeping into the household through the open window. Aiden was sitting in a wheely chair, leaning over the coffee table in the middle of the room. He wore ironed black slacks, a white, long sleeved, button-up shirt, and black flat-bottom shoes. Leonard was sitting on the couch, on the other side of the coffee table, wearing a blue turtleneck (How he managed it in the Texan heat, no one knew), black shorts, and plain, white socks.
Allison was lying on the same couch as Leonard, legs on his lap as she relaxed on the upholstery. Allison wore a black tank-top, pink short-shorts, and no socks or shoes whatsoever. Finally, playing on the floor with a toy monster truck, was Caroline Church, a little two year old girl, who was wearing a blue T-shirt with a pink unicorn on it, a slightly darker blue skirt, and light blue clips in her short, flaming red hair. She seemed happy enough playing with her toys, and left Aiden and her parents be.
Here's the bottom line: Leonard Church was a very wealthy scientist. Naturally, he earned a handsome amount of money through his job, and tried to live up to par. Unfortunately, he and his wife had run into a predicament. Allison was only home on the weekends, having been in the military and needed on base during the weekdays, and Leonard could only work from home during the fall, winter, and spring months. They needed a babysitter, since Caroline was only at daycare until noon, and they also needed a maid to help keep the house in order.
That's how Leonard got ahold of an old friend from high school. Aiden Prince had been one of his closest friends in school- one of his only ones- and the two had been in minimal contact since graduation. Leonard and Aiden had, by accident, run into each other at the store, where they afterwards went to a bar and caught up, which led to Leonard learning that Aiden was behind on his rent and without a job. They came up with a solution, one Leonard and Aiden were adamant about and Allison seemed pleased with.
"It is too important!" Leonard snapped back at Allison, crossing his arms with agitation. "We need to make sure we have legal fucking proof that he lives here in-case he ever tries to murder us!"
"I assure you, I have no such intentions." Aiden promised, feeling slightly in the middle as the couple argued. He silently wondered how Caroline could live healthily with such a hot-headed couple for parents.
"I'm pretty sure Mr. I've-Never-Lifted here ain't gonna shoot us in our sleep." Allison decided, teasing her husband. "Besides, you didn't make me sign some stupid fucking agreement when I married you, or made Carol sign one when she was born."
"Hi, Mama!" Caroline suddenly greeted as she heard her name, sitting up on her knees and waving at the adults to show that she was listening. "Is Mr. Price gonna come live with us? He's super nice!"
"Only if Daddy quits being an-" Allison stopped herself, figuring that she already swore too much in front of the kid. "Look, when ya grow up, you'll learn that Daddy is stupid, okay? I know it'll suck, but Daddy does, too."
Aiden immediately blushed at that- the comment reminded him of something rather… inappropriate- along with Leonard, making Allison snort as she laughed at the blushing men. She soon got off of Leonard, heading for the kitchen in the adjacent room. "Hey, I'm getting some iced tea, you want anything while I'm up?"
"May I please have some apple juice?" Caroline asked, and upon earning a nod, grinned, returning to playing with her toy monster truck, this time sticking a Barbie figure into the driver's seat.
"I'll have some coffee." Leonard requested, shrugging. "Also, get Mr. I-Don't-Trust-Paperwork a coke. Please." He added the last part after Allison gave him a harsh glare, as if daring him to give her an order.
"On it." Allison confirmed, before leaving the three remaining members of the group in the sitting room.
Once Allison was out of sight, Aiden sighed, skimming the paperwork with carefully trained eyes. "Are you sure you need me to sign this?" He repeated, and sighed again when Leonard simply nodded. "Alright. Fine. I'll sign it." He did, though he still seemed hesitant.
It wasn't that Aiden didn't like Leonard- he was a nice guy, and they'd been friends for longer than he could remember- he just wasn't sure if he was ready to be his nanny. They had a history, if the blushing from earlier didn't already imply it, and Allison knew about it. It was long since over, Leonard having wanted to end it and Aiden agreeing (Though adamantly), but the thoughts and memories still lingered, on occasion. It definitely made Aiden feel awkward about moving in with Leonard and his family.
Although, Aiden had high hopes for his new job. It would pay well, as Leonard and Allison had already shown him how much he'd be paid monthly, and he was permitted if not expected to live with them in the house, as he had nowhere else to go and they might need him in an emergency or family crisis. So, Aiden smiled as Allison re-entered the room, handing everyone their desired drinks (Carol got her's in a sippy-cup), before plopping back down on the couch, effectively swinging her legs onto Leonard's lap hard enough to make him yelp.
As Caroline giggled in response, Aiden sighed, pleased that he was, at the very least, moving in with a family he trusted with his life.
Time passed quickly in the Church household, with Leonard regularly being gone at work until five or six, and Allison only visiting on the weekends. This left Aiden rather busy, which he thought odd, considering he was only babysitting a two year old. Unfortunately for him, Caroline was far more lively and energetic than the average two year old. She wasn't exactly hyper, but she was definitely far too curious for such a little girl, and kept Aiden on his toes as he balanced the household chores while watching her.
But Aiden loved his job, despite it's obvious difficulties, and managed to get around most of the would-be disasters. So, one day, when Allison came running home with vomit on her shirt and clutching her stomach, Aiden knew that things were definitely going to change, effectively messing up the whole schedule he'd made for himself. Even so, he didn't hesitate before following Allison to the nearest bathroom to the backdoor (Her military base wasn't far behind the house), holding her hair back as she vomited into the toilet.
"I feel like shit." Allison announced, in-between bouts of violent coughing as her sickness seemed to cool down for the time-being. "Call Leo... tell him to come home, now, and to bring me a 'pen' on the way home."
Aiden did so, feeling that 'pen' was some kind of codeword that he wasn't informed of. He called Leonard immediately, and was greeted with a loud: "She needs a PEN!?" It didn't sound like Leonard didn't know what it was, but more like he very well knew and it terrified him.
Not an hour later, Leonard Church arrived home, a drug store plastic bag in one hand, and his glasses in the other. "Why did you stop at a drugstore?" Aiden asked as he followed Leonard into the bedroom, giving the bag a cautious look. "If she requires a pen, could you have not just gotten one from your office?"
"She doesn't need an ink pen, dumbass!" Leonard shouted, stopping at the door as he cooled off, turning to look at Aiden. "Is Caroline taking a nap?" Receiving a nod in return, Leonard sighed with relief. "Good... the next hour or two could get hectic."
Leonard entered the bedroom, allowing Aiden to come inside, though Leonard warned him to stay in the chair he kept at the desk in the room. Very quietly, and more gently than Aiden had seen in a long time, Leonard shook his wife awake, pulling out a small, pink box from his bag, but it was too far away from Aiden for him to read it. Relieved by the looks of it, Allison slowly took the pink box, Leonard helping her into the private bathroom. A few minutes passed, before a loud crash sounded.
Aiden jumped out of his seat at the sound, and heard Caroline stir from down the hallway. Hushed voices followed the crash, and Aiden strained to hear and pick up on the conversation, shivering internally as he wondered what could be wrong with Allison. After a few more tense, lingering minutes, Leonard left the bathroom, holding a pen-like stick, which had a red plus sign on one patch of it. Aiden stared, eyes wide as he recognized the item to be a pregnancy test. He looked up at Leonard, not knowing what to say.
"It's..." Leonard sighed, looking both frightened yet full of happiness. "It's a pregnancy test. It's positive... Tex is pregnant."
The reason for the strange and loud reaction, Aiden later on discovered, was due to the fact that Allison had been on birth control and they hadn't been planning on having another baby. Nonetheless, Allison refused to even consider aborting the baby, and her and Leonard agreed to have the child. Things changed, as Aiden had expected, and Allison was made to stay home for most of the week, forced to keep from exercising too much. This infuriated Allison, but she didn't argue, something Aiden suspected was the result of losing such an argument during her pregnancy with Caroline.
Speaking of Caroline, the girl was absolutely ecstatic at the idea of gaining a sibling. During playtime- when Aiden was finished with his morning chores and Caroline had gotten home from daycare- the girl insisted on Aiden playing 'House' with her, so that she could practice to become a big sister. Unfortunately, due to her having thrown her pretend little brother (A stuffed bear she simply called Baby), Aiden was a bit afraid of what would happen once her new sibling could interact with her on a daily basis.
One such morning, as Aiden had been forced into a top hat and suit on Caroline's request for her pretend game, Allison entered the living room, looking extremely pissed off. "I can't fucking believe it!" She shouted, Caroline not even flinching as she did so. "That goddamn idiot! I can't believe he would even suggest it!"
"May I inquire as to why you're screaming, Tex?" Aiden asked quietly, crouched on the floor with Caroline, who was wearing a pink, princess dress as she pretended to feed her stuffed bear, who was uncooperative the entire time.
"My sargent is a douchebag, THAT'S why!" Allison deadpanned, readying herself to face-plant on the couch, but thought better of it, and sat down gracefully, crossing her arms over her soon-to-be-rounded stomach.
"You mean more than usual?" Aiden joked, pretend-sipping from the plastic teacup Caroline had given to him, as to be his pretend-morning coffee. Caroline had begun to forcefully stab the spoon she was using to feed Baby at the bear's mouth, but no one commented.
"He expects me- let me make this clear that he was definitely referring to ME of all people- he told me I should consider taking a military leave for the next year to have the baby! I mean, I'm already, like, two months pregnant! They'll be four months old by the time I'm let back in!" Allison ranted, looking absolutely astonished by the very thought. "The fuck does he think I am, a stay-at-home-mom? Can you believe this shit!?"
"I think that it's an excellent idea, Tex. You could use the rest." Aiden pointed out helpfully, trying to ignore the fact that Caroline had murder in her bottle green eyes as she continued to attack her stuffed bear. "Carol, why are you hurting Baby?" He felt it was a good idea to change the subject, seeing as Allison began to stare at him with her own brand of murder in her gunmetal blue eyes.
"'Cus Baby is being stupid!" Caroline explained, as if this was obvious and didn't need an explanation in the first place. "He won't eat his applesauce, so I'm making him eat it!"
"That seems... violent." Aiden mused, but didn't look quite ready to step in. Not yet at the very least. "Are you sure you cannot reason with Baby?"
"Baby is a baby, and babies don't got any reasoning yet!" Caroline insisted, continuing to stab Baby as she spoke, conversation doing nothing to slow down her assault on the stuffed animal.
"Aiden, why in God's name do you think my sergeants fucking right?" Allison demanded to know, reminding Aiden of what they'd been talking about prior to Caroline's attempted murder. "You saying I can't handle training while I'm knocked up?"
"I never said such a thing." Aiden answered, still trying to hide just how terrified he was of Allison as she only got madder and madder. He'd seen her train before- had gone with Caroline to drop off her lunch if she forgot it- and it never ended well for the other combatant. "I'm only trying to explain that you are currently pregnant, therefore you should avoid any overly straining activities. You must remember that you have another human being inside of you now."
"I know about having babies, jackass. I've already had one, and she turned out perfect!" Allison assured Aiden, dead-set on staying in training for as long as humanly possible.
Aiden said nothing, simply pointing at Caroline, who had actually torn a hole in Baby at this point. Cotton was everywhere, and Baby looked successfully punished. Caroline seemed pleased once more, stuffing the spoon into Baby's open head. "Good point." Allison decided, looking a bit scared herself of her own daughter. "But maybe I can talk him into letting me back in after only ten months..." Aiden said nothing in return about the matter, preferring to continue sipping at his pretend-coffee. Could use more sugar, he thought jokingly.
And so, Allison began her leave. At first, nothing much happened. She did some things she'd always wanted to do, like stargazing every night with Caroline on the roof, or going on morning runs every day, or actually eating a regular breakfast instead of scarfing down a protein shake on the way out the door. But soon enough, Allison was stir-crazy, and nothing seemed to work. She was getting desperate for something to do, to the point that she began watching the movies that Leonard liked that she once swore were stupid. Finally, one day in spring, Allison, with a now rounded belly at six months pregnant, laid almost motionless on the couch, bored out of her skull. Leonard was home that day, as it was a Saturday, and he simply patted her head as she laid there, moaning and groaning.
"I'm so damn boooooored!" Allison announced, for what was maybe the seventh time within the last hour. Beside the couch in a daze was Caroline, who nodded her head in agreement. "We need to get out and do something."
"Well, what do you wanna do?" Leonard asked, trying to focus on a book. It was a sci-fi titled 'Attack on Venus 3: Return of the Elites'. Even during an age cursed by intergalactic warfare, people still seemed to like science fiction novels. "I've got nothing planned."
Aiden, who was sitting in the same wheely chair he'd been in the day he moved in, shrugged halfheartedly in response. He too was bored out of his skull, done with all of his chores for the day, and longed for something entertaining to do. "It's your decision, Mr. Church." He muttered, too tired and unexcited to use his usual formality of 'sir'.
Caroline crawled onto the couch, sitting on Leonard's lap, Allison scooching over a bit to give her daughter some room. "How about we go to the fair?" She offered, eyes lighting up at the idea. "My daycare teacher said there's one in town!"
Allison sat up, looking interested. "It would be fun to get out for the day, maybe go on a few rides, get some exercise for once. I haven't been to the fair since I was in high school." She explained, entertained already by the growing excitement. "Hell, why not? This could be fun!"
Leonard sighed, loudly, setting his book aside. The smile on his face telling everyone that he was secretly excited as well. "Fucking fine. I'll get my keys." He looked to Aiden, raising an eyebrow. "You coming or what, asshole?"
Aiden looked surprised, then again, he usually did when the Church family tried to involve him in any big, family activities. "If you insist." He agreed, standing up from his chair. "I assume I should dress in something more appropriate?" The reason he asked this was because he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.
"No, wear that, it's an indoor fair." Allison explained sarcastically, rolling her eyes in response to Aiden's ridiculous question. "Of course you should change, ya nerd. Come on, Carol, let's get you in something nice." She stood up, taking Caroline's hand to lead her into her daughter's bedroom to help get her dressed.
Within a half hour, the family was ready to go. Caroline was wearing an orange T-shirt, aqua blue shorts, and aqua blue light-up shoes. Aiden wore a white T-shirt with 'If Lost, Return to The Resident Badass' written on it, blue jean shorts, and black sandals. Leonard wore a matching T-shirt to Aiden, long, blue jeans, a baseball cap with 'Mass Effect' on it, and black sandals with white socks on. Allison wore a black T-shirt reading 'I'm The Resident Badass' on it, black, ripped up shorts, white tennis shoes, and she had her hair up in a ponytail. Aiden had packed a backpack with supplies, including a first-aid kit, wet-wipes, baby powder, diapers for Carol, sunscreen, a few pairs of sunglasses, back-up clothes for Carol, bug-spray, itching lotion, a towel, and a flashlight. He listed off the supplies as they left the house, he and Carol in the backseat, Allison in the front passenger seat, and Leonard driving.
"God, you're a dork." Leonard pointed out once Aiden had finished listing off what he had in his backpack. "Do we even need half that shit?"
"Seeing as Caroline has yet to be potty-trained, I assume so." Aiden replied rather sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Allison. "Besides, all of these items will more than likely be needed."
"Who the fuck needs a flashlight during the daytime!?" Leonard shouted, but didn't seem all that mad about all of the things Aiden had packed. "I'm just saying, the flashlight was pointless as shit."
"Alright, if we lose you in a dark alley, I'll make sure you never get that flashlight, wise-guy." Allison declared, smirking as Leonard's face flushed red with embarrassed anger.
"Bitch." Leonard muttered, earning a kick from the backseat. "Oh, not you too!" He yelled, glancing into the mirror to see Caroline grinning in her booster seat. "How'd ya even kick me with those tiny-ass legs!?"
"Who said it was Caroline?" Aiden answered. The car immediately erupted with laughter, making Aiden himself laugh with them. It seemed that day was fated to be good.
The day went as well as they'd hoped. Caroline and Allison had insisted on being on as many rides as humanly possible, meaning Leonard and Aiden were forced onto more than one rollercoaster. Unlike Leonard, who shrieked and flailed during the rollercoaster rides, Aiden was unimpressed. It wasn't that he wasn't given an adrenaline rush by the roller coasters, it's just that he could never see the appeal. Being sent hurtling up and down and all over the place? It seemed unconventional to him, but nonetheless, he allowed Caroline to drag him onto the roller coasters and insane rides, shrugging it off as more of an adventurous activity than a mental game. He did have fun though- there were a few rides he found were enjoyable- and near the end of the night when Caroline begged him to join her on the Ferris wheel, he accepted with no complaints.
The stars were out early as night fell over Austin, Texas. Young and old lovers alike flocked to the Ferris wheel to complete the day's adventures, and Aiden, Caroline, Allison, and Leonard were all lucky enough to get on in time. Aiden and Caroline were in one seat, while Leonard and Allison were in the one above them. As if planned by the God's of cliches, the Ferris wheel got stuck, with Allison and Leonard at the very top. Aiden and Caroline watched the nighttime sky from their seat with wide eyes, both amazed by how many stars there were, as it seemed the power had gone off all over the city. Caroline seemed a bit scared by the quietness of the city and nighttime, but still bounced a bit in her seat with her remaining energy, continuously glancing at Aiden to check if he was having as much fun as her.
"Thanks for coming onto the Ferris wheel with me, Mr. Price." Caroline whispered, making Aiden almost jump with surprise due to the suddenness of her voice. "I love being this high up... you think this is how Superman feels?"
"I suppose it might." Aiden mused, sighing to let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He wasn't afraid of heights- God no- but the thought of being one jump away from death... it worried him a bit. "It's nice to be here, where it's quiet."
"... Sorry if I'm too loud, Mr. Price." Caroline replied, looking crestfallen as she hung her head, as if ashamed by her own behavior. "I can be more quiet if you want."
Aiden stared at Caroline, brow knit with concern. "You're not too loud, Caroline. You're rarely too loud, and such a volume is expected from a child your age." He looked back at the stars above them, unable to hear Leonard and Allison, as they were whispering too quietly to really hear. "You don't need to apologize to me unless you've done something wrong or lied, alright?"
Caroline was quiet for awhile, before nodding, looking up-beat again. "Okay, Mr. Price. I will." She promised, before her eyes widened. "Look! Fireworks!" She cheered, pointing up at the sky.
Aiden paused, squinting before his eyes widened in terror at the sight above him. "... Those aren't fireworks." He whispered, horrified. "Oh God..."
Above their heads was what Aiden assumed was an all-out battle with the Covenant. He couldn't quite make out any ships from where he was, but judging by the sharp intake of breath from Allison above him, he figured she could. Big, numbing explosions sounded through the air, and even if the fight was far, far away, the explosions were big enough that Aiden could make them out. He looked around, searching for an escape route, but could see none available. He looked to Caroline, who was suddenly very concerned, looking around hesitantly, as if she was also aware of the danger above them. Soon, alarms started going off, and firetrucks came speeding towards the Ferris wheel, trying to get people down. Caroline looked up at Aiden, big, clear tears in her eyes as she tried not to cry.
"Mr. Price... what's going on?" She asked, shivering as the nighttime air bit at her skin, making her wrap her arms protectively around herself.
Aiden simply stared back down at Caroline, not knowing what to say as a ladder started coming towards the two of them. The rest of that night would be blocked out from his memory, but the memory of Caroline's big, bottle green eyes filled with tears would never, ever be erased from his mind.
A/N: First chapter for a new fic I'm working on! I already got the next part ready, but I'm gonna wait until next Friday (or earlier) to post it and see how people like it. Please R&R, and check out my sister's fic "EXE/: CORRUPTED" on AO3. It's sooooo good, guys!
~CabooseHeart.