Raising EJ – A Stuart!Trio fic

By Ashley Lotti

Chapter Nine:

"Up!" EJ held her arms up as Derek walked by her.

"No EJ, Daddy's busy," He said, digging through the laundry bucket trying to find a matching pair of socks for his date with Raven later that night.

"Da-dy UP!" EJ whined. Derek sighed and picked up the 18 month old, placing her on his hip as he ran around the apartment frantically."Da-dy DOWN!" EJ fussed, squirming in his arms until he put her down. She ran to her toy bin and found a stuffed bear, positioning it to watch TV with her. Derek ran into Logan and Julian's room, stealing a pair of Logan's socks.

"DADDY!" Derek sprinted back to the living room.

"WHAT EJ?" Derek said. EJ held up her arms again. "No, EJ, go play."

"DADDY!" She walks over and hugs his leg. "Daddy Up! Daddy Peas!"

"Remember when I was HAPPY you learned to say Daddy?" Derek lifted her up and set her on his hips. "I'm regretting it right now." EJ giggled and hugged onto him as he found his shoes.

It was another 20 minutes of up-down before Julian walked in and dropped onto the couch, exhausted.

"Unka Ju-in," EJ ran over to Julian. "Up," She pleaded and Julian rolled her eyes, looking up at Derek.

"Still?" Derek nodded. Yes this game had been going on for a week and the boys were tired, annoyed, and their arms were sore beyond belief. "No Supergirl, Uncle Julian is sleepy."

"DAAAAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Julian groaned and Derek winced and EJ sat on the floor and cried.

"Nice, idiot, you made her cry," Derek said. "No EJ, no up."

"You know you can hear her squeal in the elevator?" Logan walked in, closing the front door.

"Unka Lolo!" EJ ran over. "Up peas!" Logan lifted her up.

"Dude, I thought we agreed we weren't playing this anymore," Derek crossed his arms.

"Logan is incapable of saying no to EJ," Julian said.

"I can say no whenever I want," Logan said.

"Unka Lolo! DOWN!" EJ was squirming in his grip and Logan put her down. "Up!"

"No EJ," Logan said pointedly.

"Unka Lolooooooooooooooooooo!" she cried, hugging his leg. "UP PEAS!"

"Don't give in Logan, it's killing all of us, trust me," Derek said. Logan looked down at EJ who was letting loose fat wet tears.

"Unka Lolo..." she said sadly, her big brown eyes widening.

"3...2...1..." Julian counted down.

Logan groaned in defeat, leaning down to pick EJ up. The other two booed him.

"Where's your will power man," Julian asked.

"I have none, sue me," Logan said, sitting at his piano bench and facing Derek and Julian.

"No I think you'll have punishment enough lifting up and putting EJ down for the rest of your life," Derek said. His phone rang and he answered it, patting EJ's head and then Logan's. "Hey Ray, yeah I'll pick you up in an hour..."

"You have to help me Julian," Logan said as he walked into their half of the living room, EJ hooked onto his leg with all her might.

"She's a baby Logan, pry her off..." Julian put down his script and lifted his reading glasses off.

"No I mean..." Logan sat on the couch. EJ climbed up into his lap. "I mean saying NO to her."

"You gotta man up, Wright," Julian said. "Better she learns it now or we're going to be push overs for years." Logan sighed and pulled EJ off of him, placing her on the floor.

"Unka Lolo, up peas!" she reached up at him.

Logan sighed. "No Emma." EJ pouted.

"Peeeeeasssss?" Logan shook his head. "Unka Ju-in?" Julian shook his head.

"Sorry supergirl," Julian said. EJ pouted and sat on the floor, beginning to cry. "Please don't cry EJ," Julian frowned.

"Seeeeeee," Logan poked Julian in the side. "It's HARD Jules."

EJ continued to wail. Julian leaned against Logan's shoulder and Logan wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, both of them frowning at EJ.

Finally, after what was probably a half hour of wailing, screaming, and temper-tantrums, EJ gave up.

"No up?"

"No up," Logan said.

"No?"

"No," Julian said. EJ looked between them, thinking for a minute.

"No!" she marched around the living room. "No No No No No No..."

"Oh great..." Logan said. "See what you made me do!"

"EJ, bed time," Derek said.

"No!" EJ said gleefully. Derek sighed and hit his head on the table.

"EJ, Now!"

"No!"

"Emma..." Derek sat on the floor next to EJ who was playing with a puzzle. "Emma, please can we go to bed?"

"No."

"It would make Daddy very happy..." EJ looked up at him. "Please EJ, for Daddy? Let's go sleep."

"Otay Da-dy," EJ said, putting her arms up in the air. "Up?"

"Yeah, c'mere," he lifted EJ up and she hugged him close. "You gotta quit this No game before we go to the Olympics Supergirl, I can't be worried about you and focused on work at the same time. Can you say Olympics?"

"No," EJ said.

"Yeah probably not," Derek laughed. "How about James, can you say James?"

"James," she said happily. "Par-er."

"Yeah, James and Parker, good job Em." He changed her into her pajamas and put her in her crib. "Go to sleep EJ."

"No."

"For Daddy Emma? Go to sleep please?" EJ sat in the bed. "Goodnight EJ."

"Nye Da-dy."

"I love you.

"Lub oo.