AN: First of all, may I direct your attention to the new cover for this story? The awesomely talented SamanthaWinchester drew them in their Halloween costumes! Isn't it the freakin' cutest?! And also, sorry to some of you that wanted them to stay little forever. This idea that popped into my head started funny and turned into something rather bittersweet. But I hope you enjoy anyway. :) As always, thank you so so much for your support and enjoyment of this story! I realized that I posted the first chapter almost 2 years ago. Time flies when you're having fun! For reals, though. Thank you. :)
Eliot: 19
Alec: 15
Parker: 14
Alec was fifteen when it happened. They'd all known for a while that it was coming, but no one, least of all Eliot, was really prepared.
Eliot had just finished his first stint at boot camp and was home on leave for the first time in months. THey all met him at the airport, Sophie almost missing him because she forgot to look for his newly short hair. Alec and Parker spotted him first as he came down the escalator toward the baggage claim, and Parker raced forward, barely giving hi8m time to step off the moving staircase and drop his bag before launching herself at him and clinging like a monkey. Sophie was happy to see him laugh as he hugged his little sister, but as Alec reached for him, she stared in surprise. Nate realized it too and couldn't hide his small chuckle as the expression on Eliot's face revealed their oldest son had seen it too.
Alec had outgrown him.
Eliot allowed his brother to hug him, but shoved him away after a moment, glaring up at Alec. THey walked with him to pick up his other bag, no one bringing up the solid 2 inches Alec now had on Eliot, but Sophie suspected the extra spring in Alec's step came from something more than Eliot's return.
"So," Nate said, lifting Eliot's other bag from the return with a grunt. "Where do you want to go for dinner?"
Eliot shrugged. "Anything will be good after the food I've been eating."
Sophie tutted, looking him up and down critically. "You promised me they would feed you well!"
Eliot rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at her.
"They must not," Alec said, casually enough. "I think you shrank out there."
Parker laughed loudly, and Eliot dropped his carry on so he could properly grab Alec in a headlock. "Not too short to do this, am I?" he growled.
Alec laughed until Eliot cut off his air supply and Nate told them to break it up. Parker just sighed happily and reached up to put her arms around both their shoulders. "Do you think if I eat enough gummy frogs I'll be taller than either of you?"
"No!" the brothers announced together.
"You know, Eliot," Sophie said over her shoulder, leading her family out of the airport. "That's what you get for leaving for so long."
He sighed heavily, but she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't serious. There was only warmth in those blue eyes. Oh, she had missed him.
"Permission to tie bricks to his head if I go overseas?" he said jokingly.
"Granted," Nate said, but neither of them were laughing. They weren't ready to entertain the notion of Eliot going off to remote combat areas for as long as a year.
"Don't you dare!" Alec protested, possibly referring to the bricks and possibly referring to Eliot's deployment.
"Gotta do something about it," Eliot said, looking to Parker for backup.
She thought for a minute. "He could come to my skydiving certification classes with me," she suggested. "Maybe pulling some G's will help compress him?"
Alex shrugged her arm off and backed away. "No way."
Eliot shook his head in mock sorrow. "He's still afraid of heights? C'mon man, you're fifteen! Hey Parker, did I tell you we got to try a few base jumps a couple weeks ago?"
Sophie resisted the urge to cover her ears. Why did she have children that insisted on throwing themselves off of very high places?
"Don't worry," Nate said, readjusting Eliot's large bag on his shoulder. "They're going to be just fine."
She glanced back at the bickering siblings and took Nate's free hand. "As long as they have each other, right?"
"Exactly."