AN: own nothing but Katie Beth! Thanks to Fleur for the beta. The song I used was So Lovely By Lisa Marie Presley.
Hardison set Katie up with some Sponge Bob after the meeting and they all followed Eliot into Nate's kitchen to prepare dinner.
"You have a kid?" Hardison said disbelievingly.
"I do." Eliot started pulling out pots and pans
"But how?" Parker was genuinely confused.
"I met a chick in a bar went home had sex nine months later, there's Katie Beth. Its not rocket science Parker."
"So she's an accident?" Parker asked.
"Shhh, she can hear you, Parker."
"How you know she's yours? I mean she could be the milkman's," Hardison said.
"Other than the fact she looks just like me, I have the DNA Test results. She's one hundred percent Spencer."
"Why didn't you tell us about her?" Nate asked.
Eliot shrugged as he started making spaghetti sauce. "She's mine, she's private…if we get caught, it's better people not know my weaknesses. She's the only one I have so…"
"Daddy?"
"What, baby?"
"Do you know you're a lot like Squidward."
"I think that might have been an insult. That character is emotionally closed off." Parker said.
A few minutes later...
"Katie Beth, I have a job for you come here."
"Okay." Eliot sat her up at the table. He had the salad already in a bowl. He poured in some dressing and secured another bowl on top.
"Grab the handles and shake 'til your arms get tired."
"Cool Daddy."
He tugged on her loose pig tail to tighten it.
"Ouch…"
"Sorry, baby." He turned and they were all staring at them again.
"Stop staring at us like we're damn Zoo animals."
"Daddy, when can we go to the Zoo?"
"My next day off."
After dinner he started her bathwater. He was relieved that Katie Beth now found bath time fun. There'd been a year there, when she was two, that it had been easier to bathe a feral, rabid cat than to get that kid into the tub. Now, she stripped off her clothes and bounded right in with her bath toys, laughing as the bubbles tickled her nose.
He took a seat on the edge of the bath and watched her play. "So what have you learned since I last saw you?"
"I know the difference between boys and girls now," she said with a proud smile.
"Excuse me?" asked Eliot.
"Payton Eggert showed me his part. Mommy said it's called a penis and boys have them. Girls have bah-ginas."
"You didn't show him yours, did you?"
"No sirree."
"Good, don't play that game until Daddy's dead. Like way dead, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy. Don't worry. I have no idea how that game works anyway."
Eliot breathed a sigh of relief as a giggle from the doorway alerted him that they had eavesdroppers. Their curiosity over Katie automatically negated all of Eliot's carefully set boundries with the ladies. Parker must have picked the lock and let herself and Sophie into his apartment.
"Eliot do you need help with anything?" asked Sophie.
"Nah I-"
"Daddy, can Miss Sophie and Miss Parker help me with me with bath time?"
"But I usually do it."
"I know Daddy, but you don't ever have girls around, and I like them."
"Ok as long as its alright with the girls."
"We can handle it no worries Eliot." Sophie said.
Eliot stood up and backed away from the tub to allow Sophie and Parker in closer. Sophie took his spot on the edge of the tub while Parker perched on the tank of the toilet.
"Daddy says you do voices, Miss Sophie, can you teach me?"
"Why yes I believe I can." Sophie said using her Southern accent. "Tilt your head back Katie…" Sophie said rinsing her hair.
Katie laughed. "You sound like my Nana."
"I do…"
"Uh huh."
"Where's your Nana live?" Parker asked. She was always curious about Eliot's background and what made him the way he was.
"Kentucky. Sometimes we go there for Christmas, since Daddy's daddy died. He wasn't very nice so Daddy didn't like him very much so its ok to go back now."
"Well let's start with a New York accent its easiest New Yorkers talk with their jaw clenched. Try this…How you doin'?" said Sophie
"How you doin?" mimicked Katie.
"Very good," said Sophie as Katie Beth giggled.
Parker was growing bored with the accent lesson, so she slipped out the bathroom and wandered into the living room, where she found Eliot on the phone again.
"Oh I am not even dignifying that with a response, Tana. You dropped her off at my damn door. What if I wasn't home, Tana, then what? She's four fucking years old! You know what, let's just go back to the old arrangement. I'll just keep her. I had her for the first two years of her life, I'll do it again… well obviously because you're to stupid or just plain don't care to realize that you just don't dump her somewhere then leave Tana!"
"Bitch!" he swore, pitching his phone against the wall, where it shattered loudly and fell to the floor.
"Daddy?" called Katie Beth from the bathroom.
"Its ok sweetheart just dropped my phone." He went over to pick up the mess.
"You're different, the same but different," Parker said.
"How long you been standing there?"
"Long enough to know you're crazy protective of Katie. Sophie's teaching her grifting 101 by the way… I think I'll teach her to pick pockets."
"No, you will not I was serious about the no stealing thing." Just then Katie came out of the bathroom dressed in her Princess Jasmine pajamas.
"Thank you for helping me Miss Sophie."
"You're welcome darling."
"You to Miss Parker…"
"No problem, kid."
"Daddy will you brush out my tangles?"
"I am the best detangler around aren't I?" he gestured to himself making a face that made Katie giggle.
"Soph, Parker I'll put her to bed, then be in to finish planning the job."
Sophie and Parker walked across the hall to Nate's apartment where they waited for Eliot to finish. Then they heard them through the computer system.
"Daddy sing me the lovely song."
"ok… scoot over a little…let's see if I remember it."
"Hardison, you bugged that baby's room?" Sophie accused.
"Silly Daddy, you 'member it's our song…."
"This wrong we can't just listen in…" Sophie said.
"Oh come on like you don't find this whole unknown side of Eliot fascinating?" Parker added.
"People are allowed lives, things, people, outside of the job, Parker."
"I remember and here goes ready?"
They all flinched, preparing for Eliot's worst, but no one made a move from the couches too turn it off.
You know I did something right. Something that keeps me alive. Oh you sweet little baby.. When you came you let me know. I was finally happy. You knew me before now didn't you. God you're so lovely.
They were pleasantly surprised. "He's actually not bad…its pretty." Parker said.
Did you come here to help me. And I know you can't sleep well. Unless I'm right there next to you.
"Daddy…" you could hear the sleepiness in her voice. Eliot knew if he laid there long enough tickling her face like he was now she would fall asleep.
"Hmmm?" he answered back.
"Why don't you have a somebody like Mommy does?"
"You mean you're not my somebody…"
"Like a girlfriend Daddy." The exasperation in her voice and the crinkle in her brow made him smile.
"I don't like people too much Katie Beth."
"You like me."
"Yes but I made you, so that gives you bonus points."
"Say the prayer before I go to sleep Daddy."
"May God bless and keep you always. May his face shine upon you…may the road rise up to meet you and the wind be at your back… may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance among the stars." He kissed her forehead goodnight, Katie Beth. I love you."
"Night night Daddy, love you too." They heard the bed creak as Eliot got up.
"The man prays over his child…and you two just had to be nosy…" Sophie admonished.
"I prayed over Sam…lots of people do it." Nate said.
"I guess I don't need the baby monitor then." Eliot said walking in.
"Hey man, I just put it in to make it easier for you when you're over here. There's a camera too." He turned on the TV and there in black and white was Katie Beth trying to root out her comfy spot.
"I oughta hit you." Eliot said.