Grateful

CHAPTER 1

Happy

Eliot felt like a child the way that the excitement was building up in his chest. He could feel his packs amusement over his current state, but it would take a lot of effort to control it enough that they wouldn't feel it, or it would take Parker cutting them off in the bonds. Either way it didn't seem right to only let them in when he was controlled and serious. That was the face he showed the world. He wanted his pack to know him and the only way to do it was to share.

"Do I need to tether you to the railing to keep you from floating off someplace?" Tyrel teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Eliot let out a deep breath and checked his watch.

Tyrel snorted. "Checking your watch every two minutes won't make the plane go faster."

"I know." He shook his arm a little to settle his shirt over his watch. "I know."

He smiled when he realized he'd never felt this way before. He'd been nervous before, sure, but it was usually the nerves that came with anticipating what torture technique he'd have to endure. He'd never felt a happy kind of nervous before.

He'd grown up knowing Amy and they'd started out as longtime friends. By the time they'd started dating, and he'd given her that promise ring, there wasn't anything left to be nervous about.

The women he'd been with after that he'd never had reason to be nervous around. Either they would like him, or they wouldn't and if they didn't, no harm no foul, they could go their separate ways. But with Gemma there was so much more on the line. And it wasn't just the fear of what could go wrong but the hope of what could go right.

Tyrel chuckled again.

"What?" Eliot frowned.

"Just happy for you man." Tyrel crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall watching the most dangerous man he knew pacing back and forth with the nerves of a high schooler before his first dance. He checked his watch and smiled when Eliot caught him at it.

Eliot checked his phone. "Hardison says the plane landed five minutes ago. So we ought to be seeing them anytime now." He took a deep breath and felt himself calm down a little.

"Why daisies and not roses?" Tyrel was curious but he also thought it might help if Eliot had something to talk about.

Eliot gave him a small smile. "I've sent roses to women before. A lot of roses. But a couple months ago when I was down in Louisiana and got things straightened out with the vampires and with Gemma, well, I got to watch her carry and armload of spring flowers back to your mama's place. 'Bout the prettiest thing I've ever seen." He looked over the bouquet of daisies. "Maybe I should have gotten her roses." He frowned. "I never told her why I get her daisies instead of roses."

Tyrel clapped a hand on Eliot's shoulder. "The daisies are perfect. You should have seen the way her face lit up whenever she looked at the vase full of daisies you left her last time."

Eliot heard Gemma talking to Ms. Teo and he turned toward the sound. Far down the central walkway well past the security checkpoint Eliot picked them out in the crowd.

"I take it that you see them?" Tyrel looked in the same direction that Eliot was looking but there was no way he could make out anyone in the oncoming crowd.

"Give it forty-five seconds and you should be able to make them out." Eliot couldn't help the small smug smirk that graced his face.

Tyrel snorted but stepped away from the wall.

It was a whole agonizing minute before Eliot heard Gemma's shrill of excitement as she ran the last few yards and threw herself at him. She rained kisses all over his face and he enjoyed the warmth and heft of her in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist.

After a couple of seconds, a pink tint colored her cheeks and she wriggled down onto her own two feet but was still leaning into him. He leaned in and let his fingers slide into her hair while his palm cupped her jaw. He kissed her for a long few seconds and smiled breaking the kiss when he heard Tyrel clear his throat.

Eliot let go of Gemma and turned to hug Ms. Teo. "I'm so glad we were able to bribe you away from Louisiana for a few days."

"Well cher, I weren given much choice. Tha' young man a yours sent luggage an' already bought plane tickets." She smiled up at Eliot. "An wha' was I s'posed ta do? Jus' let Gemma, travel all on 'er own, on 'er very firs' plane ride?" She gave him a wink.

Eliot turned to look at Gemma. "Your first plane ride? I didn't know that." His shoulders hunched and his brow furrowed.

Gemma grabbed his hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "It was great! Ms. Teo and I had so much fun." She stepped in and kissed his cheek. "Don't feel guilty."

He gave her hand a little squeeze. "Speaking of luggage, let's go pick up whatever you ladies brought."

Eliot and Tyrel each carried a small carry-on bag so that the women didn't have to try to drag the rolling bags on and off of the escalators. It didn't take long to find the large slate blue bag with a large modern art flower pattern that matched the smaller bag Gemma had brought with her. It took a few more minutes for the gold bag with leather trim, that matched Ms. Teo's smaller bag, to come around on the luggage carousel.

"Is that everything?" Eliot asked after he had both of the larger bags in hand.

"Dat's all o' it cher." Ms. Teo patted his shoulder.

Eliot had a hold of the two larger cases but was having a hard time trying to get a good hold on Gemma's smaller case.

Gemma took the smaller case and kissed his cheek. "It's fine. Ms. Teo and I handled our own bags all the way through the first airport. I'm sure I can manage this little one all the way to the car."

When they got to Lucille Eliot offered the front seat to Ms. Teo.

"Tosh." She flapped a hand at him. "You keep yer girl up der wit' you."

Eliot kissed her cheek and offered her a hand in through the side door. She took his hand, but it was clear she didn't really need help getting in. Eliot hadn't asked her, but he knew she had to be in her upper eighties. Despite having slowed down, after she finally killed the vampire that was responsible for her husband's death, she was still in amazing shape for a woman her age.

As they drove away from the airport Eliot had to concentrate to keep any attention at all on the road. He kept glancing at Gemma's happy face. Her eyes were so big and her smile was constant. Every once in a while, she'd point out some feature that had caught her eye.

"You ever been outta Louisiana before?" Eliot smile and took her hand.

"Never. I've never been outside of New Orleans." She squeezed his hand. "Well, no. I guess we did go to the beach one time. But I think I was like ten or maybe eleven."

"Well I'm glad we were able to tempt you away." He rubbed his thumb over her hand.

"So we're going to the pub right now?" Gemma asked while her eyes followed something outside the window.

"Right. Everyone wanted to say hello but I didn't want them all mobbin' ya guys at the airport." Eliot glanced at her again. "Tyrel and Ms. Teo will head up to Olympia, where Tyrel lives, for their own Thanksgiving and then they'll come down on Friday for ours."

"We still on for Friday night?" Tyrel leaned forward.

"Yep." Eliot smiled at Gemma. "We'll spend a couple of nights at the cabin and then Monday you'll be able to make your escape."

"Let's not talk about Monday." She scrunched up her nose like the words smelled bad.

Eliot brought her hand up and kissed the back of it.

It didn't take long before they were pulling into the alley that led to the back of the pub.

"Doesn't look like much from the back." Eliot glanced at Gemma to gauge her reaction.

"I'm just so excited to see everyone!"

Eliot carried her bags and Tyrel led the way to the back door. Just as Eliot was coming to the top of the short set of stairs, Brian came out the door that led to the restaurant kitchen.

A huge smile spread across his face and holding the door open, he yelled back to the kitchen. "They're here!"

All of the staff rushed out onto the loading dock. Eliot growled a little, but it was nothing that wouldn't pass as human. Gemma set a hand on his arm. Eliot set the bags down and with a hand on the small of her back he led Gemma over to be introduced.

After a few minutes of handshakes and hugs Eliot called loudly. "Alright everyone back to work!"

Several people shouted 'Yes Chef' while others, including Brian, shouted 'Yes Boss'. The two responses inspired a lot of hilarity as the staff headed back into the kitchen.

Eliot shook his head in amusement and picked up Gemma's bags again. They only made it a few steps into the meeting room before they were surrounded by the rest of the pack.

Eliot set the bags to the side and this time when he set a hand on Gemma's back she leaned into his side. He smiled and a mostly silent purr rumbled in his chest for a moment.

Sophie was the first one to step forward and gently pull Gemma into a hug. "Gemma, dear, so wonderful to meet you at last." She stepped back and gestured to Nate who stepped forward to shake Gemma's hand. "Eliot and the others have told us so much about you. I'm Sophie and this is Nate."

"You used to run the crew. Right?" Gemma's question was a little hesitant and she glanced at Eliot.

"Quite right. But they've all done a lovely job without us." Sophie smiled warmly and linked her arm through Nate's.

The others stepped forward in welcome and Eliot brought Ms. Teo to the center of attention so that she could meet Nate and Sophie for the first time as well.

"A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Theriot." Nate held his hand out and Ms. Teo stared at it for a moment.

"Now, I know we only jus' met but you bein' a part o' Eliot's pack makes ya family." She reached past his hand and pulled him into a hug.

Nate smiled one of his truly-rare, genuinely-pleased, smiles, as he enfolded her in a gentle hug.

With a pat to Nate's back Ms. Teo let Nate go and stepped up to hug Sophie. Ms. Teo held Sophie's hand for a moment after she'd hugged her. "You an' I should spen' some time t'gether. I'm sure ye could tell me all about de rest o' yer pack 'ere."

"That sounds lovely." Sophie smiled and gave Ms. Teo's hand a little squeeze.

Tyrel stepped forward and set a gentle hand on his mother's shoulder. "I'm afraid I need to steal my mother away if we don't want to spend all day in traffic."

With a few more hugs all round Tyrel and Ms. Teo made their exit. Eliot wrapped an arm around Gemma as they watched Tyrel and Ms. Teo drive away.

"You okay?" Eliot asked with his head tilted to lightly rest on Gemma's.

"Yah." She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "Are you going to give me a tour of the place?"

He smiled. "Absolutely!" They headed back inside and he held her hand as they went up the stairs to the loft.

"Before we left Louisiana you said you were wrapping up another job. How did it go?" She tucked her hair behind her ear so that she could see him better.

Eliot held open the door at the top of the stairs. "I think it went pretty well. An insurance company had been denying claims and our client's little girl wasn't getting the treatments that she needed. Hopefully she'll be getting her first treatment today." He wrapped an arm around her waist as they stopped near the kitchen table.

"Wow. It's so open in here." She looked around admiring the space. "I love the exposed beams. Were those original or did you have them put in?"

"You'd have to ask Hardison." Eliot heard the vent above Hardison's desk open and close. "I can tell you that Parker is a huge fan of the beams as well." He led her to the living room area where the rest of the pack was gathered.

He pointed at the door to the home gym as they passed. "That's our gym there and the laundry room is down the hall. This is the living room." He kissed her temple as they stopped behind the couch. "Bedrooms are upstairs and there's a rooftop garden."

Sophie smiled up at them from her armchair. "Be sure to take a coat with you to the garden."

Eliot kissed Gemma's temple one more time and threaded his fingers through hers as he led her up the stairs. As they turned at the top of the stairs the tarp that was taped across one end of the hall couldn't be missed.

"What's going on here?" Gemma looked at Eliot who had let go of her hand to grab a coat from the hooks by the door that went up to the garden.

"When Hardison had this place set up there were only four bedrooms. That was plenty for a while especially after Nate and Sophie left, but now we have Quinn. And Nate and Sophie still come back from time to time. So Quinn ended up in the smallest room and it doesn't have an on suite bathroom. And we still get other guests occasionally. So we're expanding a little." He could smell a quick change in her scent.

Eliot held the coat out and Gemma let him help her with it. "Thanks." She followed him up the steps that took them to the roof.

After closing the door behind them Eliot followed Gemma as she wandered slowly around the garden. "If you're worried about the sleeping arrangements… You and I don't have to share my bed. I can take the couch. Or one of us could stay at my house boat." He reached for her hand.

"You have a houseboat?"

"Mhmm." He pulled her a little so that she could lean against his chest and he could wrap his arms around her. "Before my pack knew about werewolves I needed a place to hide sometimes. I had a room here but I needed a place where I could let the wolf out a little and when there was a full moon I needed a place I could spend the night."

"It's not like you go crazy under the full moon. Couldn't you have stayed here? Just stayed in your room for the night." She turned her head so that she could see his face.

"Parker is no respecter of privacy. She'd have gotten into my room at some point and the jig would have been up. I never meant for them to know."

"But it's so much better now that they do know, right?"

He gave her a squeeze and a kiss to her cheek. "Yep." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I could send Nate and Sophie to my house boat, and I could take their room." He arched an eyebrow at her.

She giggled and ran a hand up to curl around the back of his neck. "No. You and I can share."

He nipped at her ear. "I'll admit I'd prefer it."

She smiled as she stepped away from him. "So what do you grow up here?" She held her hand out to him.

~~o0o~~

Eliot smiled while he set his casserole together. He watched Gemma in the living room visiting with his pack. Something Nate said had made her laugh and Eliot couldn't help another smile of his own as he watched her.

"Next time I see you snarling at a bad guy I'm gonna remember this face." Quinn teased as he twisted the top off of a beer and settled on a stool at the counter.

"Shut up." Eliot shot back.

"Things with you and her… are you guys still taking things slow?"

"Why are you asking?" It was hard to hide things in a werewolf pack but they did try to give each other privacy where they could.

"I'd be glad to take the couch or I could sleep in the gym while she's here. One of you could take my room."

Eliot arched an eyebrow. "We talked about it and we'll be sharing my room."

"Okay." Quinn held his hands up. "Just an offer."

"Thanks." Eliot slid the casserole into the oven. "I'm not wanting to pressure her. After her time with the vampires she's got a lot to work through." He leaned with his arms braced on the counter.

"They only had me for a week, little more, before I escaped." Quinn shuddered. "I can't imagine spending years like that."

Eliot nodded. "She needs to know that she's safe with me. Needs to trust me." Eliot couldn't help a little growl as he thought of the vampires.

Quinn smirked. "But the waiting might kill you?"

"Nope." Eliot gave him a half smile. "She's worth it."

~~o0o~~

After dinner Gemma helped Eliot with the dishes and making popcorn before they all gathered to watch a movie.

Eliot settled into the middle of the couch and held a hand out to Gemma after she'd handed Sophie a bowl of popcorn. Gemma settled in on his right side and Hardison flopped down on his left.

Hardison was still using the remote to work his way through menus when Parker slid over the back of the couch and onto Hardison's lap. She let one leg stretch out on Eliot's lap and he gave her toes a squeeze.

Quinn rounded the bottom of the stairs and paused for a second. When he got closer to the couch it was obvious that he was planning on sitting on the floor.

"We can make room." Gemma smiled up at Quinn and scooted more firmly into Eliot's side.

Eliot kissed the top of Gemma's head and scooted closer to Hardison, tugging Gemma with him. It was a snug fit but Quinn was able to fit in between Gemma and the arm of the couch. Eliot gave the back of Quinn's neck a squeeze to reassure Quinn's wolf that his presence was welcomed.

Nate looked at the tangle of people on the couch and settled into his own chair.