"Ooh, I'm so excited- a little girl!" Sophie enthused and grabbed Parker in a quick hug. Eliot watched the two of them with an amused expression, still holding the sonogram from Parker's four month checkup. As neither appreciated surprises, they'd agreed to find out the baby's sex just as soon as the doctor could tell them, and this seemed to be the day for it. It also gave Sophie an idea. "I want to throw you a baby shower," she said.
Parker immediately shook her head in refusal, "I don't need a party." Eliot echoed her sentiment before he left the two women to their discussion in favor of watching the game Hardison had playing on the screens.
"It'll be a tiny little thing, just for the five of us. Please?" Sophie pulled out the begging eyes which never failed. She'd been a good girl and stayed out of their wedding planning a month ago, per Nate's request, but she couldn't stand to not hold a proper baby shower.
"But what's the point? We can buy anything we want, it's not like we're poor," Parker responded.
Sophie considered that, "Parker honey, a baby shower isn't just about getting gifts, though that is a fun part of it. We're showing our support for you and Eliot by getting you things which you can use, and trust me- with babies, there can never be too many clothes, nappies, or toys. It's what families do for each other." She knew that the last part would resonate with Parker, given that she only celebrated Christmas because it was a family event and she saw the team as her family.
Parker sighed and caved, just as Sophie predicted. "Can we just have a dinner together instead of a party?"
"If that's what you'd rather have, then that's what we'll do," Sophie promised. She knew that Parker was still dealing with exhaustion even if the morning sickness had mostly passed and dinner would be far more restful an activity than a full party. "Why don't we have the dinner tonight? We already have everyone here, and I can arrange to have some of those heavenly chocolate cupcakes delivered from the bakery down the street."
Parker was hooked at the mention of chocolate. "Okay, but make sure that they're the ones with butterscotch icing- they're the best!" She enthused, lost in thoughts of chocolaty goodness. Sophie steered Parker over to sit on the couch with Eliot and made her escape over to join Nate in the kitchen, pulling Hardison along with her.
"We're having the baby shower with dinner tonight, so here's what I need you two to do." Sophie handed out her orders and sent the two men off on their errands. Nate would be picking up the groceries while Hardison would be in charge of getting the cupcakes. It was a bit of short notice for the bakery, but a lot of cash tended to guarantee expeditious service. She knew without asking that Eliot would step in to cook dinner, mainly out of self-preservation to keep any of them from ruining the food, and that would give Nate and Hardison time to retrieve the gifts they'd been buying for the past month. Hers were stored safely in her office's closet and would only take a minute to fetch.
After dinner, they dug into the cupcakes as dessert, and that bakery truly could work miracles with chocolate and butterscotch. Sophie had become addicted within a week of their move to Boston, and she'd quickly dragged Parker into the addiction too; between the two of them, they easily kept the small bakery's finances in the black. Parker managed to plow through three of the cupcakes before Hardison wisely moved the plate out of her reach- they all vividly remembered her previous problems with food and no one wanted to tempt a reoccurrence.
"Presents!" Sophie clapped her hands and ushered everyone over to where the living room sofa had been pushed aside to make room for Hardison's control stand. Despite being against the idea of a baby shower, Parker was looking decidedly eager at the sight of all the brightly-wrapped gifts, and Eliot had settled into an expression of calm openness rather than the usual irritation which graced his features. Pending fatherhood seemed to be loosening up their self-appointed guardian.
Hardison elbowed his way around Nate and handed Parker her first present. "We have to start with the best present first, mama," he crowed and sat back to watch. His pride soon turned to baffled distress as she began to sniffle and then cry in earnest. "Whoa, whoa, I didn't do anything!" he yelped as he quickly backed behind a smirking Nate. Sophie gave them both a dirty look as she took the tissues offered by Eliot and helped Parker mop herself up.
"I just, it's so sweet of you!" Parker hurriedly tried to explain the tears and ended up crying again. Sophie patted her hair and waited for the fit to pass while Eliot calmly brought back a glass of ice water for his wife. From his long-suffering expression, Sophie suspected that he was quite used to the mood swings. Nate was staying well clear of the hormonal mess, experienced enough to make himself scarce, while Hardison was nearly in hysterics. She caught Eliot's eye and nodded towards their hacker. With a flash of irritation, he moved off to drag Hardison into a corner of the room and explain. From Hardison's horrified and somewhat queasy expression, it appeared that Eliot was being a little creative with the details. Sophie made a mental note to direct Hardison to a few good 'what to expect' websites later to combat whatever Eliot was telling him. Those two could be such little boys!
After the brief interruption, they got back to the fun business of opening presents. Parker ended up with a full set of baby vests fashioned after what Hardison claimed were Star Trek crew uniforms. He seemed rather enthusiastic in his explanation of the red, blue, gold, and grey little outfits, even if Parker and Eliot were a little more subdued in their thanks. He also mentioned that he had something else in the works that he'd be able to give them in a month, but refused to say anything more.
Nate shuffled forward and handed Eliot a small box, simply wrapped. "Maggie helped me pick this out for you, she said that every child needs a back yard," he explained once the box had been opened to reveal a pair of keys. He received a rib-crushing squeeze from Parker and a half hug from Eliot as thanks.
"So that list you had us make up didn't make it to the real estate agent," Eliot joked to Nate.
"No, no it did. She worked with Maggie to find the house that fit all the requirements you and Parker wrote down, I'm just the one who paid the bill," Nate explained, appearing somewhat sheepish. He'd already lightened up on the heavy drinking; rationalizing that it wouldn't be a sterling trait to exhibit around the baby, but buying a house was unexpected to everyone but Sophie. She gave him a soft look when he glanced her way- he'd truly settled into his role of "Grandpa Nate" as the younger team members cheekily called him. Upon hearing that moniker, she'd quickly clarified that she would be Auntie Sophie, and the draconic glare she gave them made her threat very clear. She may be romantically involved with Grandpa Nate, but she most definitely was not a Grandmum!
Sophie moved her own large box in front of Parker and couldn't help the smug grin as she sat back. Her main gift was one she'd held on to for a while, tucked away in storage on her little island in Tokyo, and it was perfect for this occasion. Thinking ahead, she'd bought both boy and girl clothing, and could always donate the boy's accessories left in her office to charity now that she knew the baby's sex.
Parker enthused over the baby vests and tiny little booties, more than a dozen of each from their resident fashionista, and then fell silent when she got to the item hidden at the bottom of the box. Even Eliot leaned forward for a better view as Parker lifted the beautiful item into the light. They were so entranced that everyone startled when Nate spoke.
"Didn't that go missing from a private collection back in '91?" He asked.
Sophie gave him a toothy grin in return. "It may have, perhaps," she dropped the innocent act and continued enthusiastically. "It was originally commissioned by Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid king of Persia, for the birth of his son Peroz II in 636 AD. The stones are rough-cut gemstones: diamonds, rubies, and sapphires." She enjoyed the enraptured look Parker gave to the ancient baby rattle. It was gold filigree, with the top part being filled with the gems. They weren't cut and polished like modern gemstones were, but still possessed their original beauty and sparkle despite the primitive cut. Parker experimentally shook it and laughed at the tinkling sound the stones made against the filigree cage; Eliot rescued the rattle to pass around so that Nate and Hardison could actually get a look at it.
She was quite surprised to receive a tight hug from Parker, and held the young woman through a thankfully-short bout of tears and babbling that she took to be thanks. "There now, what better gift for the daughter of a thief than stolen gold and jewels?" As expected, that got Parker to laugh and she released Sophie to sniffle and wipe her eyes with the tissue Eliot handed her. That man truly seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to Parker's moods.
The impromptu celebration wound down as Parker yawned widely, and Sophie imperiously gestured at Hardison to begin cleaning up while she gathered all of Parker's loot together. Eliot and Parker had pulled Nate aside to get the address of their new house, saying something about checking it out in the morning, and Sophie smiled to herself. She'd helped Maggie pick it out from the list and highly approved of the sprawling rancher with its small plot of land. Not too much for them to keep up, but just enough for Eliot to have his garden while still leaving room for a child to comfortably play. It also had an impressive kitchen and featured exposed rafters, which should please both Eliot and Parker.
After everyone cleared out and Nate headed up to bed, Sophie relaxed on the couch for a moment longer to enjoy the silence. She'd held onto that rattle in the hopes of giving it to her own child someday but, as that time had crept past, it found a better home with the woman who she held as a sister in her heart. Sophie wearily got to her feet and slipped upstairs to join Nate in bed. A smile pulled at her lips as she considered that he deserved a reward for his thoughtful gift, yes he did…