There's No Price On Me
Chapter 4: Dinner
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. He never expected to have kids, but nothings wrong with surprises. Usually.
A/N: "De·pres·sion/Depression: Feelings of severe despondency and dejection."
The week passed as a blur, much like the funeral had. Aiden wasn't sure where he was half the time, as if in a daze. It wasn't as bad as Leonard though.
Leonard... he broke away. He had always been reclusive- Aiden had known him long enough to know that- and he had always struggled with bouts of depression. But this... this was different. He stopped interacting with the kids, which did nothing to sooth their own grieving, and rarely ate, drank, or left his room. Well, no, he drank alright. He drank alcohol until he passed out, head tilted to the side as he snored loudly on his and Allison's bed, fast asleep for hours on end. Aiden kept David and Caroline out of Leonard's room, trying to find a way to fill the void both Allison and now Leonard had left. Caroline took it the worst, seemingly disagreeing with Aiden about everything, while David kept trying to sneak into his father's room, if only to catch a glimpse of his missing father figure.
Aiden had been looking into finding distractions. He took them out a lot, whether to kid's restaurants or parks, and while it kept the children entertained for hours on end, at the end of the day, they still begged Aiden to let them see their father. It was heartbreaking really, but there was no way in Hell Aiden was about to let them see Leonard in such a state. It could cause more damage than even he could handle. One Tuesday, the doorbell rang. Aiden hurried to the front door at once, now used to Allison and Leonard's relatives coming by to drop off food, but instead of finding any of these people, Aiden found a stranger that he hardly recognized. He knew right away that he'd been at the funeral, but he had no idea who he was. One of Leonard's friends maybe?
"Good afternoon, Mr. Price," The man greeted, his accent British. "May I ask if Dr. Leonard Church is home at the moment?"
"For what reasons?" Aiden asked, hoping he didn't sound too defensive. He'd been trying to keep people from visiting Leonard while he was still depressed and agitated.
"I don't mean to be a burden, but I only wish to discuss some... business matters with the man." The stranger explained, smiling a bit at Aiden. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Dr. Malcolm Hargrove, lead chairmen of Charon Industries."
"The name on Dad's coffee mug?" Caroline asked, poking into the conversation from behind Aiden's leg, staring up at Dr. Hargrove curiously. "Are you one of Dad's friends?"
Hargrove smiled at Caroline, crouching down to eye-level with the fiery haired girl. "Why, yes I am, little girl. You must be Caroline Church. Your father talks endlessly of your achievements."
Caroline giggled at this, shaking hands with Hargrove. "Caroline, why don't you go play with David?" Aiden ordered, Caroline understanding it for what it was and leaving in a hurry to find her younger brother.
Hargrove stood once she was gone, smirking at Aiden. "Curious, isn't she? A lovely young girl, she is. Much like her late mother. So sorry she passed away."
Aiden swallowed, uneasy in front of Hargrove. He had a bad feeling about this guy. "Yes, it was quite... hard. On all of us. The children aren't taking it very well."
"Wouldn't be right if they did, would it?" Hargrove joked, but Aiden didn't laugh, though Hargrove didn't seem affected by this factor.
"I don't think Leonard is very well right now. Maybe another time, perhaps?" Aiden offered, just about ready to kick the businessman out. That uneasiness was quickly becoming a black hole of anxiety.
"Oh, of course, of course!" Hargrove said, waving off Aiden's obvious irritation with the man, acting as if everything were fine. "But, please, I'm sure you and the children are quite bored here, cooped up in this house? How about I treat you, Leonard, and the children to dinner? It wouldn't be any trouble, and I'm sure the children would appreciate it."
Aiden stiffened, but before he could refuse, Caroline came running back to the front door, now with David at her heels. "What about dinner?" David asked, and Aiden mentally cursed. Of course they'd come running once food was mentioned.
Hargrove brightened, practically rubbing it in Aiden's face as he scooped David up with ease, holding the blond child up to speak to directly. "I'll be taking you and your family out to eat somewhere. Isn't that right, Mr. Price?"
Caroline's eyes went big, looking to Aiden for confirmation. "Really? Are we gonna go eat out, Uncle Aiden? Is Dad gonna geta come?"
"Of course!" Hargrove promised, and Aiden wanted nothing more than to snap that damned businessman's neck, but held back, mainly because he wasn't physically strong enough to actually do such a thing.
"... Of course, Carol." Aiden finally said, exchanging a look with Hargrove, who shrugged as he set David down to cower in fear behind his sister. He was obviously afraid of the stranger. "I'll go get him. Please, Dr. Hargrove, come inside for a drink. I'll be back momentarily. Children, go and get yourselves dressed."
"But I can't do it myself yet!" David explained, obviously afraid to, as he was still only two years old. "What if I choke 'n die!?"
"I'll help ya, Davy." Caroline promised her brother, and for a moment, Aiden considered objecting, but decided not to in the end. After all, what was the harm of letting Caroline help out a little? It wasn't like SHE was raising him, right? Right.
"Such a responsible child." Hargrove praised as he entered the house, and Caroline beamed at that, soaking in the approval like a dried out sponge.
"Yes, she's very... mature for her age." Aiden decided, forgetting to mention that just yesterday, Caroline had taken a nap just like David without a hint of denial.
With the kids busy getting dressed and Hargrove drinking tea in the kitchen, Aiden hurried to Leonard's room while he had everyone out of his hair. He was quiet as he approached, opening the door silently before entering, locking the door behind him to ensure that none of the kids or Hargrove would come inside. Lying on the bed was Leonard, passed out and fully clothed still in his funeral clothes, an empty bottle of hard whiskey practically cradled in his arms. Aiden sighed, disappointed in himself for never making Leonard wash himself. Well, he'd have to now. So, with only a hint of hesitance, Aiden came to Leonard's bedside, grabbing his knee and shaking him awake.
"Leonard," Aiden whispered, trying to usher the scientist awake. "Leonard, it's time to get up now. You need to shower and get dressed. We're going out to dinner."
"What?" Leonard replied, voice weak as he squinted his eyes open, appearing dizzy and uncoordinated. "No, go away..." He mumbled, trying to roll over and look away from Aiden.
Aiden sighed, shaking his head as he grabbed Leonard by the shoulders, forcing him to sit up. "You need to get up, Leonard. We're going out to eat." He said, trying to coax the scientist to stand up.
"Fuck off." Leonard muttered, but Aiden was stronger than him, and after a few minutes, he was put on his feet again. "What do you even want?"
It took every bit of Aiden's patience NOT to snap at Leonard as he helped him up, keeping his hands on his shoulders so he wouldn't lie back down. "We're going out to eat." He repeated, tone icy and calm. "Go shower and get dressed."
Leonard looked ready to object, but seemed to come to some sort of agreement in his head to not argue too much with Aiden. Slowly, Leonard began stripping, and Aiden politely looked away from him. While Leonard got undressed and in his bathroom's shower, Aiden got himself dressed, throwing on some of Leonard's old clothes. He didn't want to leave the room, just in-case Leonard fell over in the shower, so he settled on just borrowing some of Leonard's clothes. They were a bit baggy on Aiden, but that didn't stop him from wearing the clothing. After about ten minutes, Leonard emerged from the shower, throwing on the clothing Aiden handed to him once he was out. Leonard wasn't perfectly clean, having not done a good job washing himself, but Aiden wasn't about to make him go back in. They were already late enough.
Once Leonard was dressed, he and Aiden hurried out of the room, Aiden making sure Leonard didn't grab any alcohol on the way out. "We're ready!" David cheered once he saw them, almost tripping Leonard as he made grabby hands up at the man. "Papa, up! Up up up!"
Before Aiden could say no, Leonard crouched down and scooped the blond boy up, eyes glued to his mop of hair. "You look just like Allison, ya know that, right?" He whispered to the little boy, making Aiden's heartbeat slow down for a few seconds.
David didn't need to be reminded of that, Aiden thought, but he was Leonard's son and he had no control over what Leonard said to the toddler. David just stared at Leonard after being given the compliment, unsure of how to feel about it. Leonard didn't try for a reaction though, and simply carried David into the kitchen, freezing once he saw Hargrove. "Dr. Hargrove." He said simply, voice low and almost... afraid. Aiden couldn't tell why.
Hargrove smirked at Leonard, Caroline sitting on his lap as he showed her something on his cell phone. "Why, hello, Dr. Church. So sorry about your loss. I was hoping you and I could discuss a few things over dinner, hm?" He set Caroline down on the floor, standing up to stand about a half foot shorter than Leonard.
"Uh... yeah, sure, okay." Leonard said in a rushed daze, making to turn and walk out of the kitchen, only to collide face-first with the hallway wall. "Ow, fuck, sorry there, Aid." He mumbled, reaching blindly around until he found Hargrove's shoulder, patting it apologetically.
Aiden cursed his luck. Of COURSE Leonard was still drunk- when wasn't he these days?- but the timing was absolutely horrendous. For whatever reason, Aiden felt the need to show Dr. Hargrove that everything was just fine, that losing Allison hadn't changed them, but that would be a lie, wouldn't it? Aiden didn't care about lying much anymore, he just wanted to prove Hargrove wrong. But Hargrove hadn't SAID that he doubted them... so why did it feel like he was judging them 24/7? Deciding to question it at a better time, Aiden grabbed Leonard by the shoulder and walked him out of the hallway and to the front door, the back of his neck feeling warm to the point that his skin felt aflame as Hargrove followed directly behind the duo.
The kids followed behind Hargrove, trying to get around him to see their father, but Hargrove, to Aiden's thankfulness, kept them at bay behind him, acting as a roadblock. Aiden, meanwhile, led Leonard out the front door, stopping to wait on the porch for the others. Hargrove and the kids soon joined them on the porch, Hargrove beginning to lead the way as he walked to his car- a fancy limo model- and unlocked the doors, opening one of the doors so the kids could pile in first. David and Caroline were in awe, having never been in a limo before, while Aiden bit back the need to offer to drive them to the restaurant himself. Best not to bite a gift horse in the mouth, even if it meant having a drunken Leonard in Malcolm Hargrove's limo.
"Nice digs, Hargrove," Leonard mumbled once he was inside, thankfully sober enough to buckle himself in. "Why a limo?"
"I thought it best we drive in style. Don you agree, children?" Hargrove pointed his question at David and Caroline, who were eagerly hopping in their seats as they watched their neighborhood from the windows.
"Yeah, this is awesome!" Caroline agreed, David spitting out a copied string of 'Awesome's' to go along with his sister. "It's so long!"
"It is... fancy." Aiden offered, trying as hard as physically possible not to look at Hargrove as he watched the neighborhood along with Caroline and David. This couldn't end well.
"Thank you for buying us dinner, Dr. Hargrove!" Caroline cheered as she and her family left the restaurant, right on Hargrove's heels.
"Anytime, dear," Hargrove replied, leading the way back to his limo. "Perhaps, if you would all like, we could visit a park near where I live? It's a beautiful park really, with plenty of space to run around for you and your younger brother."
"We're going to the park!?" David asked, excited to play in a park, especially since his father would be there, opening the doors for David to play with him. "Is Daddy gonna come!?"
"I'm already here, ain't I?" Leonard said, now much more sober after dinner, though he still looked a tad unsteady. "Why not? You wanna go, Aid?"
Aiden huffed, knowing that yet again, Hargrove was using the children to make Aiden and Leonard talk with him. "I don't see why not." He muttered, trying not to growl and give in to his more primal instincts to rip Hargrove's throat open.
It was just that... Hargrove was weaselly, in Aiden's opinion. He had too many sly smirks, was too good at manipulating them all, and worst of all, he had an awful habit of making the kids convince Aiden and Leonard to do what Hargrove wanted. They didn't mean to, not at all, but they were excitable little kids that were finally spending time with their father. Of course they were taking every opportunity available to try and play with him! Even so, Aiden was suspicious of Hargrove, and didn't trust him one bit. However, a trip to the park could very well be good for the kids and Leonard, so Aiden didn't put his foot down and say no quite yet. He was saving that for in-case Hargrove offered to show them around his own home, in which case, Aiden wasn't going to let the kids anywhere near him. Aiden didn't trust Hargrove not to take advantage of the children's innocence.
The drive to the park was rather quick, with the kids starting to calm down as the night progressed, but they let loose as soon as the limo doors opened at the entrance to the park. Just like that, Caroline took off towards the nearest playscape, while David waited until Leonard was out of the limo, eagerly taking his hand and attempting to drag him off to play with him. Leonard didn't turn his son down, and Aiden kept a close eye on Caroline while Leonard watched over David, his mind quite obviously somewhere else. Hargrove sat at a bench, watching the family from afar, and somehow, it made Aiden completely uncomfortable, not wanting the scientist's eyes on him 24/7 while he attempted to play with Caroline and forget all about the earlier tension. If anything, it seemed to grow tenfold, but not enough yet for the children to notice too much.
It wasn't long before Caroline came running towards Aiden, panting as she leaned against him for support, tuckered out by all her running. "I'm tired." She said, whimpering as she rubbed her head with one hand, the other holding Aiden's pants leg.
After checking to see if Caroline had hurt her head or not, Aiden scooped the girl up, holding her securely in his arms. "Let's get you home then." He suggested, looking around for Leonard and David. "Leonard? David?"
A few minutes passed, before Leonard and David emerged from behind the playscape, David fast asleep in Leonard's arms. "He tuckered himself out running in the field," Leonard explained as he approached Aiden, smirking in satisfaction. "He's easier to handle when he's asleep."
"Aren't they sweet?" Hargrove asked, suddenly appearing by the group, smiling down at David in Leonard's arms. "It doesn't take very much to excite them, does it?"
"I suppose not..." Aiden replied, eyes on Hargrove as he held Caroline just a bit tighter. "I think we should get home, the children should be put to bed."
"Of course, of course!" Hargrove said, smiling almost wickedly at the two men before him, each with a sleeping child in their arms as Caroline finally fell asleep. "I'll get you all home then. Thank you for coming out to dinner with me, it was wonderful."
"Yeah, it was," Leonard agreed, though he didn't sound like he wanted to stay anymore than Aiden did. "We should go."
And so, Hargrove had his limo driver drive them all back to the house, the limo ride absolutely silent, now that the kids were asleep. Once they arrived home, Hargrove waved his goodbyes, promising to visit again at some point. Both Leonard and Aiden exchanged a look when he was gone, but said nothing on the matter. Instead, they got the kids back upstairs, changing them into pajamas before putting them to bed. With the kids taken care of, Aiden made to return to his own room, since Leonard was now completely sober and could dress himself for bed. He stopped, however, as a hand landed on his shoulder. Aiden turned around, dark brown eyes meeting bright emerald greens. Leonard smirked at Aiden, giving his friend an expectant look.
"Aw, come on, Aiden," Leonard smirked as he spoke, something Aiden hadn't seen since Allison had passed away. "Where are you going? Our room is downstairs."
"I..." Aiden wasn't sure what to say. Were they still together, now that Allison was gone? Was Aiden still welcome in Leonard's bedroom? "If... if you insist." He eventually agreed, unable to hide the fact that he wanted to as he followed Leonard downstairs and into their bedroom.
Aiden awoke to the sound of computer keys tapping somewhere nearby, but he didn't open his eyes quite yet. He was too tired. However, a low cat's purr made his eyes snap open at once. He was facing away from the computer, but he could see the light shining off the wall from where he was. At the computer was Leonard, he puzzled together, but where had the cat purr come from? Aiden made to roll over and ask, but stopped once he heard a soft giggle from the computer's direction, followed by a slightly deeper chuckle from Leonard. It had to be David, Aiden thought, straining to hear what was going on. Unable to hide his curiosity any longer, Aiden silently and slowly rolled over, now facing where Leonard's work desk was. His eyes widened slightly at the sight before him.
Leonard was at his desk working on his computer, as Aiden had expected, but David was sitting in his lap, watching a viral cat video with Leonard. They were both in pajamas, Leonard in his boxers and David in cat-patterned pajamas that were hand-me-downs from Caroline. The blond boy giggled as he watched the cat in the video slip and fall off a table, narrowly missing it's jump, and Leonard laughed along with him, if only to please his son. David's facination with felines had always puzzled Aiden, as Leonard was severely allergic to cat fur, making it impossible to ever own one, but he rarely dwelled on it. After all, he figured it was good if David liked animals. Better to like them than want to hurt them, right?
"You feeling any better, kiddo?" Leonard asked in-between videos, working the computer mouse to find another for he and his son to watch.
"M'hm!" David assured, before pausing, looking up to give Leonard a concerned look. "... But, can we watch a few more, Daddy?"
"Of course. Not like you got school yet, right?" Leonard said, before clicking on the next cat video, prompting another bout of silence between the duo, only broken whenever David and Leonard would giggle/chuckle at the cats on-screen.
Once the video ended, David coughed, gaining Leonard's attention. "Daddy?" David asked, looking a bit afraid to ask. "Can I ask you a question?"
Leonard nodded, prompting David to continue. "How come Uncle Aiden sleeps with you in your bed?" He questioned, appearing confused.
Aiden shut his eyes quickly, just as Leonard turned to glance at him, narrowly missing being caught eavesdropping. "Well... ya know how me and Mommy loved each other when she was alive?" When David nodded, Leonard smirked at his son. "Well, it's like that. Before Mommy died, she, Daddy, and Uncle Aiden were together. We were in love."
David's eyes widened in response. "Really!?" He gasped, and when Leonard nodded in confirmation, David looked star-struck. "You mean boys can love each other like Mommy's and Daddy's do!?"
Leonard laughed at this. "Why not? I mean, I loved Mommy, right? And I still love Aiden. Some boys like loving boys more than girls, and some girls like loving girls more than boys. Sometimes they love both. That's what Daddy, Aiden, and Mommy did. But now it's only me and Aiden."
"So, does that mean Uncle Aiden is like my Daddy, too?" David asked, head tilted in deep confusion and thought.
"You should ask him yourself, kiddo." Leonard said, ruffling David's blond hair with a sly smirk on his face. "I'm not sure if that's my call or not."
"Okey dokey." David agreed, before settling back down against Leonard for another video.
A few videos later and he fell asleep in Leonard's lap. Once Leonard realized David was asleep, he scooped the blond toddler up with ease, carrying him out of his bedroom and back into his room. Aiden rolled back over onto his sleeping side once they left, unable to hide his grin as he heard Leonard walk upstairs to put David to bed. Even after Leonard had come back to bed and fallen asleep, Aiden still smiled, wearing it through his sleep and into the morning.
A/N: Another chapter done for this storyline! I hope you all like it so far, I know I do! Please R&R!
~CabooseHeart.
