In Person
"Tyrel?" Eliot held the phone with his shoulder. He stretched stiff muscles while he walked down the terminal toward the exit in Louis Armstrong International Airport.
"Everything okay?"
Eliot smiled. "Yah, things are good. I need a ride."
"You're back in town?" Tyrel's keys jingled as he picked them up. "That was fast."
Images of Hardison shot, Parker holding a cold pack to her throat, Quinn cut up and full of glass shards, and the wrench hitting him in the gut all flashed to mind. "If you say so. Feels like forever."
"Gemma said something about you getting hurt."
"Don't worry everything's good now."
"Should I swing by and pick Gemma up? I'm sure Sam would let her go if he knew it was for you."
"Nah. I want to surprise her."
"Alright, I'll be there soon."
~~o0o~~
"Ms. Teo!" Eliot pulled the old woman into a firm hug.
"Cher, I wasn' expectin' ye back so soon! What a wonerful surprise!" She thumped him on the back before he let her go.
"It's not for long, Hardison's got me on a flight out tomorrow."
"So de rest o' yer pack isn' comin'?" Ms. Teo frowned.
Eliot could smell her disappointment. "I'm sorry. That last job may not have taken long but it was pretty brutal. I think they were just wanting to get home."
"But you didn' go wit' em?"
"Gemma wanted to talk in person." He shrugged.
Ms. Teo smiled and patted his arm.
"Ms. Teo, you wouldn't happen to have a picnic basket, would you?"
"I jus might cher. You go on down ta da basement and have a good look aroun'."
Eliot kissed her temple and headed down the hall. He dropped his bag in the spare room on his way to the basement door.
Heading down the stairs his nose picked up a myriad of scents. The herbs, old wood, and dust were familiar and comforting. He didn't bother looking around her workbench or the main part of the basement, instead he headed for the large storage closet.
There were boxes, bags, and all manner of odds and ends. He could feel his excitement build as he pictured how a picnic with Gemma might go. A picnic basket wasn't absolutely essential for his plans, but it would be a nice touch. If he couldn't find a picnic basket down here maybe he'd hit a couple of the shops on his way to the grocery store later.
He'd just picked up a hint of linseed oil, and something a little more familiar, when he heard the door open and close behind him. With a glance over his shoulder, he saw Tyrel.
"Thanks for the ride earlier. I hated to rent a car for just one day."
"No problem."
Eliot waited but Tyrel didn't say anything else and while he'd picked up and set down a couple of things it was clear he wasn't looking for anything in particular.
"Somethin' on your mind?"
"What are you planning to do with Gemma?"
Eliot felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle like his hackles were up. He wrestled the wolf down and reminded himself that Tyrel wasn't a threat, and that Gemma wasn't interested in Tyrel. "What do you mean?"
"Do you see this working out long term?" Tyrel set down a tea cozy he'd never seen before. "Are you planning on moving her to Portland?"
Eliot stopped looking through the dusty shelf where he'd first picked up the scent of linseed oil. He turned to face Tyrel. He leaned back against the center post of the shelf and crossed his arms. After a second, in which he could practically hear Sophie chiding him about body language, he let his arms drop to his sides and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops.
"All of that depends on Gemma." He took a breath and could smell Tyrell's anxiety. "Are you worried I'm gonna take advantage of her and toss her to the side when I'm done?" He couldn't completely keep the growl out of his voice. He knew he'd gotten a reputation as a player, but he had hoped that the people that knew him could see that this relationship was different for him.
Tyrel frowned. "No, I wasn't trying to say that."
Eliot picked up a change in Tyrel's scent, but he couldn't make much sense out of what he was getting. "What are you trying to say?"
"Of course, I'm hoping that things work out between you and Gemma. I'm just wanting to know what your plans are so I can be ready."
Eliot's head tilted a little to the side as his wolf picked up on… something. "Ready for what?"
"Do you remember four or five years ago when mama sent us those gris gris bags?"
Eliot nodded.
"Those bags each have one of Julian McCune's fangs in them. I don't know if you noticed, but a lot of the fight went outta my mama after that."
Eliot wouldn't ever forget McCune. He'd nearly been killed by McCune and his sanguinary. That was how he'd met Ms. Teo. She'd finished off the vampires that were attacking him and then she'd rescued him from that back alley, taken him back to her place and helped him recover.
"What does that have to do with Gemma?"
"Without the motivation to avenge my father I think she just didn't know what to do with herself. She got weaker, lost interest in some of the things she used to do." Tyrell rolled a hand forward to show that there was more on the list. "And then you brought Gemma here."
Eliot arched an eyebrow. He could tell they were getting closer to the point, whatever it was.
"Mama started cooking again, and she's selling her apothecary stuff again. She was even telling me about plans for a vegetable garden next summer." Tyrel but his hands in his back pockets and rocked a little. "I'm afraid that if you take Gemma with you mama will lose interest in things again."
The scents of Tyrel's emotions finally seemed to settle, and Eliot moved around to put a hand on Tyrel's arm. "I'm not taking Gemma with me tomorrow. We've got time to figure things out."
Tyrel nodded.
"I know it's not the same, but I love your mother. I don't want to do anything that's going to hurt her. She's told me some of the same things she's been telling you and I see what you mean." Eliot thought about leaving things there, but he felt driven to be honest with Tyrel. "I'm not gonna tell Gemma that she can't come to me when she's ready and I do want her to move to Portland eventually. Right now though, she's got a lot of history to work through, and really, she barely knows me, so I don't see her leaving here anytime soon." His wolf wanted to whine at that thought.
"Right. I guess I got myself worked up over nothing." Tyrel gave Eliot a half smile.
"Looking after your mama is important." Eliot smiled. "And if I want my evening to go the way I plan so is finding that picnic basket." He turned back to the shelves.
Tyrel chuckled and shoved a box to one side. Reaching back behind where the box had been he pulled out an old and dusty picnic basket. "My daddy woulda liked you." He held the basket out.
~~o0o~~
Gemma tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she rounded the corner onto Camp St. She pulled her phone out to check it again even though she knew that she hadn't gotten a text or a call. Eliot had texted her just before work and he probably wouldn't text her again until after supper. She thought about texting him, but she didn't want to pester him.
She'd had the most wonderful dream last night. Most of the details had slipped away during the day but her mind had clung to one clear image of Eliot in profile with a soft light adding a warm glow to his cheeks and picking out bright little threads in his hair. She smiled while she thought about it.
She opened the gate and hurried up the sidewalk. She'd go ahead and call him after she'd had a chance to say hello to Ms. Teo and Tyrel. She hung her purse on a hook by the front door, slipped her shoes off, and turned to see Ms. Teo sitting in her favorite chair.
"Gemma, baby, how was work t'day?" Ms. Teo held an arm out and Gemma went to her.
"Same as every day." After a quick hug Gemma sat back on the couch. "Where's Tyrel?"
"He went to pick up dinner from de restauran' aroun' de corner."
Gemma noticed the twinkle in Ms. Teo's eye and wondered what was going on. "Was he afraid I was going to try to cook again?"
"Dat las' meal you fixed was betta. Yer catchin' on." Ms. Teo smiled and picked up one of her crossword books.
Gemma huffed a laugh. "I'm gonna head upstairs for a bit. Just holler if you need me."
She opened the door to head upstairs and noticed a few white flower petals scattered across the first few stairs. She looked up the stairs and saw two white daisies. One daisy was about halfway up, and another was at the top of the stairs.
She paused on her way up to pick up the flowers. As she rounded the banister, she saw three more daisies between her and the bedroom door.
She'd collected the little handful of flowers and couldn't help the huge smile on her face as she opened the door. The trail of flowers continued to the gabled window on the other side of the room. She knew she'd left that window closed and latched when she'd left for work, but it was open now with a vase half full of daisies balanced on the sill.
She collected the rest of the flowers and knelt on the window seat to put them in the vase with the other flowers.
"Hello darlin'." Eliot smiled at her from his seat just outside the window.
She smiled back and set the flowers to the side. He offered her a hand as she climbed through the window, and she took it. Still holding his hand, she sat down next to him on the blanket he'd spread out. She just looked at him for a moment. He was wearing a red flannel over-shirt, dark jeans, and boots.
She leaned into him, and he pulled her into a hug. "I didn't think I'd get to see you again so soon!" She kissed him.
He ran a thumb over her cheek and kissed the tip of her nose. "The job wrapped up and the rest of the pack headed home to Portland."
"But you didn't go with them?"
"You said you wanted to talk in person and not over the phone." He smiled a little and tucked her hair behind her ear.
She bit her lip as she remembered that part of their conversation. "Well, yes, but I didn't mean for you to fly all the way over here right away. It wasn't an emergency."
He could smell her anxiety and knew it was probably a good thing he was here. Whatever the issue was it was better to talk it out than let it fester and become an actual problem later. "I was gonna be on a plane either way, and unfortunately this really is just a stopover. I'm headed back to Portland tomorrow." He leaned back against the gable for a moment.
She leaned into him and let her thumb rub gently over their clasped hands.
"Are you hungry?" He looked at her. "I fixed us a picnic dinner." He leaned forward and pulled the picnic basket closer. It had taken him a little while to clean it up and it still smelled a little like strange werewolf to him, but he didn't think it was a scent that Gemma would pick up.
She smiled and gave his arm a squeeze. "That sounds wonderful."
He pulled out a small plate and put a half of a sandwich on it. He arranged some cheese and crackers on the side of the plate and handed the whole thing to Gemma. He fixed his own plate and balanced it on the corner of the basket while he filled two wine glasses. He handed her a glass and resettled himself against the gable.
Gemma was having a little trouble getting resituated and keeping everything balanced. Eliot chuckled when he saw her predicament and he took the glass from her.
"Sorry, I guess I didn't think through all the details. I thought a picnic at sunset would be nice and I figured we could both relax here. I didn't really think about the pitch of the roof." He shook his head and handed the glass back to her once she had her plate balanced.
She kissed his cheek. "This is really wonderful." She took a bite of her sandwich and closed her eyes. "I didn't know a sandwich could taste this good!"
"I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure if you had a preference, and I didn't know how to ask without tipping my hand." He licked a crumb off of his thumb.
"With all the stuff you and your pack know how to do I would think you could have found a way." She teased.
"I'm not gonna con you. That's somethin' you do to a mark." He frowned.
She brushed his hair away from his face and he looked at her. "I was teasing. The sandwich is wonderful, and I didn't have a preference before."
"What do you mean you didn't have a preference?"
"I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite sandwich." She closed her eyes in bliss as she took another bite. After a sip of wine, she looked at him again. "But feel free to try and out do this one I'll be glad to taste test them all." She scooched a little closer and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment.
He slid an arm around her and curled a finger through the belt loop on her hip. "I'll see what I can do." He smiled a little. It didn't take long for him to finish his sandwich and he reached into the basket and pulled out another. He glanced at Gemma who was only halfway through her sandwich.
She felt him staring and glanced his way. "What?"
"Nothin'." He gave her a little squeeze.
They leaned together and watched as the sky turned a firey orange that slipped into a pink that reminded Gemma of a vibrant lipstick she'd seen once. As the pink darkened and faded into an inky purple color Eliot set the plates and glasses back in the basket.
The moon was only two days past full and it was still big enough to cast plenty of light to see by. Between the moon's glow that the lamplight coming through the window she thought his face looked just like it had in her dream.
Gemma noticed the way Eliot tilted his face toward the moon and she looked to see if she could see what he did. "Is the moon singing to you tonight?"
He turned and kissed her forehead. "Always. But tonight, I'm much more interested in you."
"I don't know why."
"Because you're mine and you said there was something we needed to talk about." He wasn't surprised or hurt when she pulled away from him sitting a little straighter. He knew she needed space and didn't like to be touched sometimes. He started to let go of her so that she could have her space while she talked to him, but she reached down and set her hand over his on her hip.
"I don't know where to start." She shrugged and then curled forward resting her crossed arms on her knees.
"Let me then." He resisted the urge to tuck her hair back so that he could see her face. She was already letting him keep his arm around her, so he'd try to leave her with a place to hide. "I joked about lingerie, and it made you uncomfortable. At first, I thought it might be a body image issue because you are worried about your scars, but my wolf seems to think it's something deeper than that. Am I on the right trail here?"
She nodded. "I am a little worried about what you'll think when you see my scars but you're right it is more than that. The lingerie thing… it really made me think about where this is going. I… I have a lot of hang ups about…" She hunched her shoulders forward and his hand slipped away.
"Sex?" Eliot was sure that's where this conversation was going but it was better to be clear than dance around with a bunch of euphemisms or half sentences.
She nodded. "I was with the vampires for five years. They r…" She tossed her hair to the side resting her cheek on her arm as she looked at him jaw clenched.
"They raped you." He wasn't surprised. He had already made that assumption. He wanted to rub her back or pull her close but he knew that was probably more for him, so he made sure his body language was inviting and he waited for her to decide if she wanted him for comfort or not. "I thought that was likely. I've dealt with the vampires here a few times now and I've seen firsthand how they punish and reward behavior." He let his hands clench into fists before he consciously relaxed them. "Gemma, I told you before that I think we should take things slow. I don't want to push you to do something you aren't ready for."
She looked away and nodded. After a moment, she scooted closer, and he put an arm around her shoulders.
"I don't know why you want to put up with this mess." She wiped a knuckle under her eyes.
"I think you're pretty amazing. I guess I should warn you you're not the only one with a messy history." He kissed her temple.
She ran a finger back and forth over a spot on top of her shoulder. Eliot couldn't see it with her t-shirt in the way, but he imagined it was a scar she was feeling.
"It's hard to forget your past when it's written all over your body." She whispered but there was no way he could have missed it.
"Can I show you something?" He leaned a little away from her.
"Is this another werewolf thing?" She smiled at him. She was beginning to love the way he shared things with her.
"More like a not-werewolf thing." He pulled his over-shirt off and set it to the side. Several years ago, Tyrel had mentioned that the only reason Eliot had any scars at all was because his mind so strongly believed in them that it prevented the werewolf magic from correcting them when he changed. Since then, he'd used it as a mental exercise to see if he could make old scars reappear or smooth the appearance of the scars he still had. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his old scars. It felt a little like the start of his shift as his skin tingled and itched and somehow resettled. He opened his eyes and looked down at his arms. There was a web-work of knife scars and crooked stitch marks. He looked up at Gemma and waited.
She couldn't help staring in fascination as scars appeared across his knuckles and hands and moved up his arms. Most were thin white lines, but a few were raised and twisted where he'd healed badly. There was a red melted looking scar on the right side of his neck that spread down onto his shoulder. She reached out to see if it was as smooth as it looked but she stopped just before she touched him. She looked up at his face and saw him looking at her.
"It's okay, you can touch."
She ran her fingertips along his neck and shoulder. "What happened?"
"The burn scar? When I was in the military, my unit was captured by terrorists." He turned around and rucked up his white undershirt so that she could see the large, twisted burn scars across his back. "I survived." He turned back around and let the wolf come back. Almost all of his scars melted away. "I know about scars."
"I guess you do." She laced her fingers with his. "So all of those scars were from the terrorists?"
"The burn scars on my back are. The rest are from other things." He pulled his over-shirt back on. "I've done bad things and I can't take them back. Some of those things left scars where people could see them and some left scars…" He tapped his chest over his heart. He reached out palm up and she took his hand. "I know you're worried about your scars but I'm not. You're here, your scars mean you survived."
"You survived too." She gave him a small smile.
He was worried about how she'd react when she realized he deserved those scars. "So we've both got a whole trainload of baggage." He reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand. She moved to lean into him and he wrapped his arms around her.
He let his fingers play up and down her arm for a moment and listened to her breathe, and the steady beat of her heart.
"There was something else I wanted to talk to you about." She didn't try to move away from him or even look up from where she was resting against him.
"Okay. What else?"
"When you called the other day, and I figured out you were hurt it scared me. And…"
"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to be scared. I just needed to hear your voice. I…"
She reached up and put a finger over his lips. "It scared me that you felt you needed to hide it. I worried about how badly you were hurt and then I wondered why you wouldn't tell me." She sat up a little straighter so that she could see his face. "You said that werewolves are straightforward and don't lie. And you didn't lie exactly but you hid."
"I thought it would scare you if I told you I was hurt and there was nothing you could do about it. And I knew I'd heal so it seemed unfair to scare you when I knew I was going to be fine."
"So when I have a bad day or I break something or get hurt somehow. I shouldn't tell you because I know I'll be okay in the long run?"
Eliot frowned. "It's not the same thing."
"Sure it is. You've decided you are strong enough to deal with all of my stuff. I want to be strong enough to deal with your stuff. But I don't know if I am or not because you hid."
He nodded and took her hand. "I'll try to do better in the future."
"I want a partner Eliot. I know you've done an awful lot of rescuing me, but I don't want to always be the damsel in distress. I want you to have a partner in me, not just one more responsibility." She kissed his cheek.
He turned his head and caught her lips with his. He and his wolf were both so happy he couldn't stop his smile. The smile broke the kiss and with a soft kiss to her forehead, he pulled her close to him again.
"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
"One o'clock." He rubbed a hand up and down her arm. "I should get home in time for dinner."
"Do you have another job already?"
"No. I think the pack needs a little time. But I didn't actually ask Parker what she has planned so I guess I don't really know."
"What do you do when you aren't on a job?"
"I help run the brew pub. Cook mostly, keep Hardison from poisoning the customers with whatever his latest fermented disaster is." He chuckled a little.
She smiled and let her fingers curl in the middle of his shirt. She felt that odd not-growl-rumble start in his chest. It wasn't loud enough to hear yet, but she could feel it. "What is that?"
"What's what?" He started to sit forward to look for whatever she'd seen, but gentle pressure from her hand kept him in place.
"That rumbly not-growl thing that you do sometimes." She ran a hand over his chest.
"Oh, uhm…" He looked down at her hand on his chest and a little away from her.
She scootched up a little higher and bit her lip as she tried to contain a smile. "Are you blushing?"
His face snapped toward her, and his eyes flashed yellow for a second, but his expression softened, and he kissed her nose. "Maybe." He tried to contain his own smile.
"So what is that? You've said it's not a growl and you certainly don't seem upset. So what is it?" She spread her hand out over his chest.
He looked down at her hand again. "Uhm, it's called purring."
"Like a cat?" She bit her lip. She wanted to laugh but she saw the nervous uncomfortable look on his face. She cupped his cheek with her hand and turned his face to look at her. "I don't understand it, but I like it. Don't hide from me okay." She tilted her face up from his shoulder and he closed the distance.
The rumble started again, and she smiled into his kiss. "So does that mean you're happy?"
"Very." He kissed her again.
She rested her head on his shoulder and listened to his heart beat.
Eventually the warm evening air and the warm weight of Gemma curled into his side, started to ease him to sleep. He gave himself a little shake and Gemma shifted with a moan.
He rubbed briskly at Gemma's arm. "Come on darlin', time for bed."
She groaned and gripped tightly to his shirt. He chuckled. "Come on. I can't carry you through the window it's too small." He rubbed her back.
She blinked up at him owlishly. "What?"
"We need to go inside. You won't be happy tomorrow if you sleep on the roof."
She groaned and stretched. " 'kay." She crawled awkwardly through the window and turned back to take the basket and blanket. She set them to the side and waited while Eliot came in. As soon as he was standing in her room, she leaned into him.
"Come on. Let's get you to bed." He kissed the top of her head.
She staggered in that direction still holding his hand. "Can you stay for a little while?"
"Sure." He pulled her bedcovers back and smiled when he saw his t-shirt scrunched up next to her pillow. He waited until she climbed in and straightened the covers around her. He went to the other side, pulled his wallet and phone out of his pockets, and set them on the nightstand. He toed off his boots and slipped under the top blanket.
She curled toward him, and he pulled her close. He couldn't seem to help it as a purr rumbled in his chest as they both drifted to sleep.
~~o0o~~
His hand reached out but the bed next to him was cold. For a second he thought the whole thing had been a dream but when he opened his eyes, he saw Gemma's room. The bed next to him was empty and he was surprised that he hadn't woken when she'd gotten up. It was proof of how much his wolf trusted her that he hadn't woken when she got up.
He heard the door at the bottom of the stairs open and close and he watched as Gemma rounded the banister at the top of the stairs carrying a tray.
He scooted up so that he was leaning against the headboard when she came around the foot of the bed. "What's this?" He smiled.
"Breakfast in bed. You fixed dinner last night, so I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast in bed." She smiled as she went back to her side of the bed and climbed on so that she could sit facing him. "When was the last time someone brought you breakfast in bed?"
Images of an elaborate breakfast served by several women, as a thank you gift from Moreau, popped to mind and he swallowed hard. "It's been a long time." He looked over what she'd brought and tried not to chuckle since he didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"It's the cereal, isn't it?" She gave him a knowing grin. "It's the only thing I can make for breakfast that isn't burnt."
"This is fantastic." He picked up one of the triangles of toast that she'd already spread with jelly and bit into it. "The toast isn't burnt."
" 'Cause Tyrel showed me how to adjust the toaster." She shrugged and took one of the slices for herself.
He was pretty certain he hadn't eaten cereal in milk since his army days, but he appreciated her effort and wouldn't disappoint her by not eating it.
He picked up an ultra-thin very flat piece of bacon and stared at it for a moment. "Turkey bacon?"
"It's supposed to be good for you. And I figured out how to make it in the microwave without burning it, mostly."
He nodded and took a bite. It tasted worse than it had smelled, and it had smelled like a heap of chemicals to start with. It took a little effort, but he managed to swallow the bite.
He looked up to see Gemma hiding her smile behind her hand. "Okay, no turkey bacon from now on. I promise."
He set the tray to the side and pulled her onto his lap. He ran his fingers into her hair and down her arms. "Thank you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Thank you for making breakfast and trying to take care of me." He kissed her, and a split second into the kiss thought about his morning breath, but she erased the thought from his mind when she ran her fingers into his hair and kissed him back.
His stomach rumbled and they both laughed.
"How about I teach you to make scrambled eggs?" He smiled.
She rolled off of his lap and he groaned but tossed the blanket back and followed her to the kitchen.
In the kitchen he handed her the apron he usually used. And tied the strings in a bow behind her.
"Don't you need an apron?" She smiled.
He turned her around so that she was leaning against his chest. "I got one."
"Okay what next?"
He talked her through what ingredients she'd need and what setting on the stove to get the skillet to the right temperature. He had her crack the eggs and add the salt pepper and cream.
"Okay, now this is the fun part." He smiled into her hair.
He placed his hands over hers as she held the bowl and the whisk. "Just relax." He whispered as he moved the hand that held the whisk. "You want to whip the eggs until they're frothy, but you want to stop before you end up with a bowl full of foam. He started to move her hand faster and faster. "Just like that." They stopped and he had her pour everything into the skillet.
"You better take over this part." She started to turn but he stopped her with a hand on her belly.
"You can do this sweetheart. It'll be perfect."
Still holding her around the middle, he talked her through cooking the eggs and how to tell when they were ready and getting them into a bowl to serve them from.
"I told you those eggs would be perfect." He kissed her cheek. "Now go and tell Ms. Teo and Tyrell that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes or so."
~~o0o~~
She'd gotten out of the car with him at the airport drop off and waited on the sidewalk while he grabbed his bag from the back seat. She hugged him and let her head rest on his shoulder.
"I'm going to miss you." She sighed.
"I'm gonna miss you too darlin'." He hugged her tight.
"Call me when you get to Portland."
"Absolutely." He kissed her hair and squeezed her again.
"Tell the rest of them hello for me."
"I will." He chuckled. He ran his hands into her hair and tilted her face up. "But ya gotta let me go or I'm gonna miss my flight."
"I know." She tapped her fingers low on his chest. "Can you do it one more time?"
He snorted but gave her a half smile and let a purr rumble in his chest. It was nearly all sensation with no sound so that no one around them would notice.
She pushed up on her toes and kissed him. He kissed her back and then taking her by the waist he stepped back and away from her. "I gotta go."
She nodded and watched as he walked through the doors into the airport.
~The End~