She's the one opening the door when they got home, she had little bows on her hair and a huge smile Sophie and Nate hadn't seen in a while because all of that affected her too. She hugged her parents tight as well as uncle Eliot, but Parker was the one causing the major impression when the girl saw her.
"You're back!" She said as she hugged her aunt as tight as she could and fell down in tears.
"Oh, sweetie." Parker knelt on the floor, she was still pretty damn agile for a pregnant woman.
"I thought you were never coming back!"
"Ohh, don't worry I am not living anymore, okay?" Parker pulled the ten year-old to her on a tight hug.
"Okay..." Eleanor responded into Parker's hair, her face on the curve of the blonde's neck.
Eliot picked her from the floor like she was a princess.
"C'mon. Let's bake ya some chocolate cookies!"
Nate and Sophie just watched as her smile grew again, forming dimples on her face.
"There you are; we were expecting you to arrive later." Hardison responded.
"How did she behave?" Nathan asked placing his heavy coat on the hanger. Hardison shrugged as he popped a gummy frog on his mouth.
"As good as always. My lil' princes is always good to me!" and he smiled.
"It's good to know that at least that we did right." Sophie said as she sat on the couch next to Hardison.
"Nice job on the "device" by the way" Nathan whispered glancing at Eleanor who was on the kitchen with Eliot and Parker.
"Oh, it was nothin'." Hardison responded. "Nice job on the beating, you four. That guy was a pulp." Sophie frowned.
"You saw it?" Nathan squeezed her hand lightly knowing she was worried Hardison might have seen Annie.
"Well, I installed a camera on the bomb, I saw the last minutes of his life after you were gone. I never thought I'd say that, but his expression when the bomb got to zero was priceless." And he took a sip of orange soda.
"Do you still have the video?" The mastermind asked.
"Yeah, but don't worry, I'ma delete it tonight."
"Don't do that, Parker wasn't there and I am sure she'd like to see the last minutes of his life." Sophie said as she stole a gummy frog from Hardison's package.
"Wait, Parker wasn't there?" The hacker asked, his bottle frozen on the air.
"Neither was I. We decided the show wasn't suitable for pregnant women."
"And you went with her instead of Sophie?" He seemed shocked.
"What? What's wrong with me staying?"
"Nothin' it's just he's usually the scarier, creepy one..."
"Seriously?!"
"Okay, let's not get into this fight, it's not worth it!" Nate said putting his hands on the air.
They had dinner as a complete family for the first time in months, with Parker sitting next to Eliot and Eleanor between her father and Hardison, they laughed and discussed whether the baby was going to be a boy or a girl. When Parker and Eliot got back home that night they both felt light and completely happy, the puzzle was complete now.
Six days later
"Uncle Eliot, you look weird on this picture!" Eleanor stated as she frowned at said picture which Eliot quickly took out of her hands.
It appeared to be a family tradition now, to take a picture of the couple on that garden the day they found the baby's sex; it's was similar to the one Sophie and Nate had except Parker was actually laughing her ass of and Eliot's face was just frowned and twisted on a strange expression.
"Well, it's not my fault your aunt picks the worst moments to say certain things..." Eliot responded putting the picture back on the shelf.
"Like what?" Eleanor asked because she had been at school at the time the picture was taken.
"Like she wanted to name her son Steranko!" Hardison announced as he opened the fridge to take a bottle of orange soda out.
"Whooo, like the vaults?" and she propped her elbows on the table.
"No hon', those are Glenn-Reader." Eliot answered.
"Steranko is the unbreakable security system that we beated!" Hardison said, his smile wide with proud.
"What I don't understand, is how you can beat the Steranko, but can't beat me at playing Mario cart."
"What? I can beat you. I always beat you!"
"Na-ha-ha"
"Yes I do!"
"Do not"
"I do!"
"Do not!"
"Do!"
"Not!"
"Do!"
"Children stopped it!" Eliot ordered, they were giving him a headache.
"Fine! But I totally beat her!" Hardison replied and Eleanor squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out.
"Don't worry uncle Eliot, I will love him no matter what his name is" and he kissed him on the cheek walking out the bench she was perched in after.
She was already at the door when she turned to Hardison and defied him. "Race you to the living room!" and she ran off.
"No fair, I wasn't ready!" and he started running too, Eliot just smiled at the pair; there was in fact a reason Hardison was the child's godfather. He was the one she got along with the most and was also the only one, except for Sophie, that she obeyed to with no question. He was mostly playful yet she knew when he said "no" there was no other option.
He took one more look at the picture, he was defiantly weird yet he loved it because Parker had that jolly laugh, the one that could cure any wound...
Next chapter will be the finale.
Guest already gave me some names but I'd like to learn boy names for other people as well. What do you think the baby should be called? Tell me : )
