They always knew that choosing a name for their child would be a difficult, bordering on impossible, task.
For any grifter or con man it always was.
In fact, it took them a two months to name their baby girl, by which time a running joke had been developed amongst the team that they were never going to pick one and she'd have a bigger identity issue than Sophie.
But as much as they joked, they all understood how difficult it was; almost any name anyone suggested, a short story was told as to why it wasn't going to happen.
Except for Parker's suggestions; hers were so obscure that Nate and Sophie had decided to veto any suggestion given by the thief.
"What about Samantha?" Hardison suggested the day after Sophie had left the hospital as he awkwardly held the newborn in his arms.
"Sam Ford?" Nate questioned, raising his brow at the hacker and crossing his arms.
"Or not," Hardison agreed, cursing his stupidity.
"Mary," Nate suggested to Sophie as he changed the girls diaper. Sophie was standing next to him, folding up the child's clothes, and shook her head.
"A close friend of mine," by which she meant an old identity, "who was probably too enthusiastic about the feminist cause," she confessed.
Nate looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
"Not one of my proudest moments."
"Grace," Eliot suggested, cooing at the girl, her legs kicking in the air as she laid in the cot they had set up in the back of the pub when she was two weeks old.
Both Sophie and Nate considered this name greatly for a few minutes, until they sounded it out loud.
"Grace Ford," Sophie spoke, then screwed up her face in disappointment. "Sounds a bit like graceful doesn't it."
"Ashleigh?" the hitter suggested as an alternative, swooping the baby up into his arms as she began to fuss. He was determined to be the one to pick the name; partly because he liked the idea, but mostly because of a wager he had with Hardison.
"I like that one," Sophie smiled but Nate shook his head.
"First arrest with IYS," he explained.
"Elarkson," Parker proposed enthusiastically, throwing her hands out wide on the baby's month-birthday.
"Elarkson?" Eliot shook his head in disbelief. "Elarkson?"
"Where did you hear that name Parker?" Hardison asked softly.
"I made it up!" she replied proudly.
"You made it up?" Nate repeated, as much in surprise as the rest of them. The thief had come up with some obscure names but this… this was just bizarre.
"Yeah!" she nodded eagerly. "It's like Eliot's, and mine's and Hardison's name all rolled into one."
"Maybe not Parker." Sophie was sure to let her down easy. "Maybe not."
"Elizabeth?" Hardison suggested as they sat around the dinner table when she was six weeks old.
The grifter shook her head as she bounced the baby on her lap. "An old fence alias of mine."
"What did you fence?" Parker asked.
"A girl's best friend," Sophie smiled then kissed the baby on the head. Parker looked confused. "Diamonds Parker," the grifter elaborated and the thief's frown of confusion turned to a smile of approval.
"Nice," she muttered.
"Jean?" Nate suggested but it was promptly dismissed not, however, by Sophie but by Eliot, to everyone's surprise.
"That was my Mamma's name," he confessed, then offered an alternative. "Rebecca?"
Nate shook his head. "Sam's name if he was a girl."
"This is getting ridiculous," Sophie complained, pulling a purple headband onto her daughter's face. "How is it that we can do all we do, make a split second decision in the field about how to do whatever, but we can't pick a name for our own daughter!"
Nate let out a slight laugh, grabbing his daughter from Sophie and cuddling her affectionately in his arms.
"We just haven't found the right fit yet," he assured her. "Besides, a name is much more permanent."
"Not it's not," Sophie retorted.
"Picked a name yet?" Eliot asked, passing Sophie her plate of food as they sat in the empty pub.
Sophie gave him a cursing look.
"You could pull one from a hat?" Hardison suggested, looking to Eliot for his food.
"She's got a baby Hardison!" Eliot yelled at the man. "Go get your own." Hardison rolled his eyes, but stood up and walked over to the kitchen for food.
Sophie let out a small laugh but was halted by the baby letting out a cry as she rested on her chest. "No, no, no, it's okay baby," she soothed and began rocking the child from side to side and rubbing her back soothingly.
"You should pick one soon you know," Parker noted without, for the first time since the baby's birth, retreating at the sound of crying. "This is taking for ever –Lee!" she exclaimed suddenly. "How about Lee?"
Sophie looked at Nate and he looked back at her. Both smiled.
"Nate, that's it!" Sophie exclaimed in an enthusiastic whisper so as not to wake the baby who was slowly falling asleep.
"Lee?" Hardison confirmed, placing his plate down on the table "Isn't that a bo-"
"Everly," Sophie corrected. "Everly Ford."
"I like it," Parker praised.
"Has a nice ring to it," Eliot agreed.
"Eve or Evie for short," Hardison noted.
"It's perfect," Nate praised, standing behind Sophie and softly caressing his daughter's head. "Told you we'd find one eventually," he said to Sophie, squeezing her shoulder affectionately.
"It was worth the wait," she smiled up at him, then kissed her daughter on the head. "Everly Ford, welcome."
Today is my one year anniversary for fic writing. This plot bunny has been sitting in pen for a while now so what better day to set it free.
Many thanks for everything in this past year!