A/N This one is a little darker than the others have been, but still mostly fluffy goodness. I don't know why, but I'm sort of addicted to the little!Eliot/mom!Sophie dynamic.
I appreciate all your reviews and ideas! They keep writing these stories fun. Let me know your thoughts! :)
For the third time that day, Sophie was nearly in tears. She was staring at the wreckage of yet another of her favorite Christmas ornaments shattered across the living room floor, a wide set of brown eyes watching her and an angry set of blue ones glaring at the floor.
"What did I just tell you?" she said, trying to keep the hysteria she was feeling out of her voice.
"Sorry, Momma," four-year-old Alec said.
"No, sorry isn't going to make it okay," she said angrily. "Eliot, I've told you a hundred times today that the living room is off-limits, so why did you think it was a good idea to bring your little brother in here to play baseball?"
Her older son's bare toes poked at one of the pieces of glass, his jaw tight.
"Eliot, don't! That will cut you! You know what, you're going to stay in your room until Dad gets home at least. And no TV tonight!" she said, grabbing Alec and lifting him over the worst of the broken pieces.
"Mom!" Eliot shouted angrily. "That's not fair! Alec's the one who broke the stupid thing!"
All the frustrations of the day welled up in her and she found herself shouting. "You should know better, Eliot! He's only four and you're eight. Room! Now!"
"You like Alec better!" He kicked a piece out of his way furiously and ran down the hall, slamming his bedroom door.
Sophie's eyes welled up and she sank onto the couch, covering her face with her hand and trying to ignore Alec's miserable sniffling on the other end of the couch. She knew tensions in the house were high because of their latest addition but -
"Oh no, Parker," she suddenly exclaimed, remembering what she'd been doing before hearing the crash in the living room. "Alec, you stay right there," she ordered.
She'd been trying to get the three-year-old to eat something besides cereal and had left her alone in the kitchen with the stove on. Fearing the worst, she ran in and looked around frantically, not seeing Parker anywhere. "Parker!" she called, running to turn on the stove before the water she'd started for pasta boiled over. "Come here, sweetheart," she said, trying to sound inviting instead of panicked.
Parker had only been with them for four days, but those days had been difficult to say the least. The little girl refused to speak to any of them, screaming when they tried to touch her or get her to do anything. And she had a disturbing penchant for disappearing. Just that morning she'd made it all the way to the next block before they had found her.
"Oh, Parker, honey," she said again, frightened, angry tears burning her eyes. "Please don't do this right now."
She checked everywhere, even Eliot's room, feeling worse when he pointedly ignored her, his eyes red-rimmed.
"Momma!" she heard Alec call from the kitchen.
She hurried across the living room, one of the pieces of the ornament crunching under her shoe. "Alec, I told you to stay on the couch!" she said.
The little boy was looking up at the fridge. "But …" He pointed. "I finded Parker."
Sophie followed his finger, suddenly seeing the little girl. She had somehow gotten to the top of the fridge, wedging herself in the dusty space under the cupboards above it. Sophie sank against the kitchen table.
"Oh," she said softly, desperately. "Parker, come out of there, please."
The little girl shook her head vehemently, her blond hair falling across her face, and Sophie wondered again what exactly her previous foster parents had done to her.
"She gotta come down," Alec said, still staring up at her. "I's yucky up dere. Give 'er some candy maybe. Or cereal. She likes cereal, 'member?"
Sophie just shook her head as Alec chattered on, wishing Nate hadn't taken his latest case. It was a stressful one and he'd been getting home late, and there were only three days left before Christmas and so much to do. With the unexpected arrival of Parker to the mix, it was all Sophie could do not to tear her hair out. And she so wanted to help the little girl feel safe and loved. She just had no idea how.
"Parker?" Alec was calling. "You wanna come down an' play a game wif me?" She didn't respond and the little boy turned to Sophie with a frown. "Momma, she not listenin' to me."
Sophie tried again. "Parker, honey, you're not in trouble. Come down and play a game with Alec?"
The little girl just shrunk further into her hiding spot.
"Alec," Sophie said, feeling defeated. "Stay in here with her for a minute. I need to clean up the living room."
She grabbed the broom and dustpan, feeling the tears that had been threatening spill over onto her cheeks as she leaned over the broken pieces. The symbolism of it wasn't lost on her. Her life felt a bit shattered lately, scattered in too many directions to keep track of with Nate so busy at work, and a new exhibit at the museum. And then there was Eliot who she knew was feeling left out since most of the attention lately had been on Parker, and Alec who was at a taking-everything-apart phase. Sophie felt like it was impossible to give them all what they needed, and it hurt her to see need and pain in their eyes and not be able to fix it.
Alec suddenly ran past at top speed, narrowly avoiding a piece of glass. "Alec! What are you -"
He reappeared with Parker's stuffed bunny, the only thing she'd had at her previous home. If it could be called that. "Got Bunny!" he said, whizzing past again.
Sophie couldn't believe she'd forgotten that. They were learning that there were few things Parker loved, and Bunny was at the top of that list. She followed Alec back into the kitchen, dumping the dustpan into the garbage and standing back to watch.
"Look, Parker!" Alec said, holding her stuffed animal in the air. "I got Bunny for ya!"
Parker peeked over the top of the fridge, her eyes narrowing when she saw someone else in possession of her toy. She shot a glance at Sophie, and Sophie's heart nearly broke when she saw the fear in them. She took another step back and smiled gently. Parker crawled slowly out and down onto the counter before sliding to the floor, surprisingly agile for a three-year-old. Alec held the bunny out, smiling one of his customary giant grins and Parker snatched it, clutching it to her chest before running into the living room.
Sophie and Alec followed her as she went to the hall closet, throwing it open and starting to climb the shelves one-handed, Bunny under her other arm. Sophie hurried forward, worried she would fall. "Parker, what do you want? Tell me and I'll help you," she said, holding herself back from actually touching the little girl.
Parker just whimpered in the back of her throat and looked at Alec.
"Whatsa matter, Parker?" Alec asked. Sophie could see him straining to understand what the little girl needed.
She stabbed a finger upwards and Alec's face lit up."I telled her we was gonna play a game!" he said, grinning.
Sophie smiled back at him, relieved when Parker nodded. She reached up to the top shelf and got down Candyland for them, hoping there were enough pieces left in the game to keep them entertained for a few minutes. She had another broken piece to fix.
She helped them get the game out and took Alec's face between her hands to make sure he was listening. "Come get me if Parker tries to leave. Promise?"
He nodded, his dark eyes serious. It was enough for her. She walked down the hallway and knocked softly on Eliot's door before pushing it open. He was sitting on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest, staring out the window at the cold, cloudy weather.
She sat slowly on the edge of his bed and waited for him to look at her. He didn't. "Eliot," she said softly. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. You were right. It wasn't fair."
He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
"I know it's hard to be the big brother right now," she said. "But you do such a good job. Daddy and I are so proud of you, you know."
He hunched his shoulders and she heard him sniff. They sat in silence for a moment, Sophie hoping it would be enough.
"It's just stupid, Mom," he said suddenly, his voice thick with tears.
"What is?" she asked, aching at the pain she could see coming off his small body.
"Parker," he said.
"Eliot, she's -"
"No, I mean what they did to Parker. Why'd they hurt her? Why'd they make her want to hide?" he asked, finally turning to look at her, his eyes filled with unshed tears.
She reached out and gathered him into her arms, her throat tightening. She hadn't realized how much he knew about Parker's situation. "I don't know, baby. Sometimes … well, sometimes it's just stupid, isn't it?"
He nodded against her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Is she ever gonna be okay?" he asked softly.
Sophie rested her cheek against the top of his head. "I hope so, Eliot. We'll help her together, all right?"
He nodded again, and pulled away, scrubbing at his eyes with the ends of his sleeves.
She stood, wiping at her own eyes. "Want to help me make dinner?" she offered, letting him know he was forgiven for the broken ornament.
His eyes lit up and he slid off the bed. "Chicken parmesan?"
She smiled. "Let's do it. Maybe Parker will try it."
"She probably will," he said eagerly, heading for the kitchen. "It smells super good. An' maybe we could crunch up cereal to put on the outside instead of bread crumbs for her."
Sophie brushed a hand across his head. "That's a perfect idea."
She knew sometimes there were some pieces that couldn't be fixed, but Sophie thought maybe this time their broken pieces could make a whole.