A/N: Not mine. However, Ben is. Small note, might be helpful to read You'll Be There first, however if you have any working brain cells, I'm sure you can figure it out.
Hands in his pockets, he stood watching the city go by. "Y'think he's really angry at me?"
"He's a kid, he's always gonna be angry at you for something."
He snorted. "Y'know, there was only one time I was ever angry with my father. Really angry. And even then... I was more angry with myself. And my mom... sweetest lady you'd ever meet. Wouldn't ever let you go hungry. I don't remember ever being angry with her."
"It's a thing with kids. You don't remember it now because you were never angry at them, not really."
He was quiet. Glancing at his companion, he studied the proud, straight frame, the softened features of his face. He, too, had his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'm really part of the parenthood club, huh?"
Elliot smiles. "Your membership card will be arriving in the next eight to ten weeks."
A small smile is visible on John's face as well. "Never thought I'd get one."
"None of us do."
"Not like this. I'm sixty years old. Adopted my nephew. If ever... it wasn't supposed to happen like this."
"John, if he didn't have you, where would he be now? What would he be doing?"
"That's not what I mean. It's just... Four marriages, four divorces. No kids. I spent my whole adult life without kids. Until now. Once I got to a certain point, having kids never crossed my mind. Let alone the fact that I've got nobody to have a kid with. I just... not like this."
Elliot doesn't know what to say to that and instead looks at the older man. He is about the same height, maybe an inch taller, or maybe not. His hair is grayer than when they first met, and shorter as well. The glasses have become darker over the years. However, time seems not to have an effect on his weight or posture. The shoulders are hunched very slightly, almost imperceptibly, and have been since they had met. For the most part though, John Munch is the same man on the outside as he was when Elliot first received the now patented over-the-glasses look. And he could see how becoming a parent at this age would would scare anyone, but looking at John, he can't believe that he's as scared as he is. For all the years they've been colleagues, and for all the years of their odd friendship, he's never known him to be afraid. He just took it for granted that the older man simply didn't have fear, which also helped in explaining why he constantly baited Fin despite almost daily death threats.
But this is different, a part of his brain says. You should know, with four kids of your own. True, he relents, but there must be a special kind of fear at becoming a parent at sixty, and not just a parent, but like John said, adopting his nephew, and that was done because his parents had been murdered, of all things. Yes, there most certainly must be a certain kind of fear associated with that type of sudden parenthood. At least Elliot had had nine months for each kid to prepare. Well, there were the twins, but still, twenty-seven months is a hell of a lot longer to prepare than a day or two. A hell of a lot longer.
"D'you think it's safe to go back down there?" John asks, shaking Elliot from his thoughts.
"You can never really tell if it's safe. But hey, I'll go down there first, see what's happenin' and then I'll come get you."
John turns his head a bit, looking at the younger man. No wise ass comment of in his lips, all he can do is smile a bit and say, "Thanks."
Elliot smiles back and goes to the door. John listens as it closes behind him, then turns back to the city.