Teams and other family
Meanwhile Parker was skipping like a demented energizer bunny, dragging Darcy along behind her while Eliot and Hardison tried to keep up.
“So Sophie’s your mom, huh? What’s that like? What’s her real name? What’s your real name?”
“Easy there, Parker. Kid’s had a hard day. What do you say we get something to eat?” Eliot tried to keep his voice gentle, feeling guilty for his initial reaction to the beautiful woman…girl. Fuck she was just a kid, Sophie’s kid. All of the people in all the world and he had to have an instant hard on for Sophie’s daughter! She was going to castrate him if, Nate didn’t get there first.
“I’m seventeen years old and if you keep up with that patronizing tone, I will kick you in the balls!” She glared up at him blue eyes blazing too big in her pale face and Eliot couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him.
“Alright alright Mighty Mouse no need to resort to violence. I wont call you kid but I gotta call you something can I call you Darce?” Darcy nodded her head and tried not to blush at the nickname from the super handsome buff guy with great hair and green eyes she just wanted to fall into sigh…
“OOH I like her. Can we keep her Alec? Also you’d never hit Eliot in the balls he’s too quick, I’ll get you a taser. They are like little boxes of fun, and I get in less trouble when I tase someone that when I stab them with forks.”
Alec shook his head, he loved Parker but she could be a bit much for some people and he glanced at Darcy worried that she would be mean to the older vulnerable woman instead she nodded her head saying “makes sense” then kept walking with Parker. Alec beamed a smile at her, but Darcy didn’t notice she was too busy following Parker an intent look on her face. Maybe he should be worried because Darcy was young and impressionable. She was paying way too much attention to Parker, were they discussing grappling hooks! He gave Eliot a worried look and hurried to catch up to them, before Parker succeeded in tuning Sophie’s daughter into a cat burglar.
They were gone four hours, Sophie was decidedly not worried, nor was she pacing the bar like a caged tiger wondering what on earth was taking so long. When they walked in five minutes laters Darcy’s eyes were shining, Parker was giggling while Alec and Eliot looked on in fond exasperation. Eliot and Alec carried dozens of bags each. Sophie suppressed a sigh. Darcy would not be going back to the safety of the Lewis’s. The team was attached. They’d never let her send her away. God, her little girl, was 17. Where had the years gone? Soon she’d be off to college and even farther away from Sophie. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have Darcy here. She could get to know the woman her little girl was becoming help with whoever was bothering her.
Sophie rushed over to Darcy, pulling her into a hug. “Are you ok?”
Darcy shook her mom off. She wanted to stay in the comfort of her arms, but she knew if she did, she might never want to leave them. Darcy had learned long ago that her mother was always one job away from leaving her.
“I’m fine geez it’s a little late to worry about me now, don’t you think.”
Sophie recoiled opening her mouth, but Nate shook his head minutely arms going around Darcy’s shoulders.
“We set up a room for you. Why don’t you take a minute to freshen up, then you can come on down to the conference room, you can tell us what bought you here.”
Darcy beamed at Nate before following Parker up the stairs. She might be upset with her mom, but she’d missed her. She should probably stop being such a brat. She was just so mad at her but she knew it was only a matter of time before she was sent back. Darcy decided to take a page from her favorite book and remember the past only as it brings you pleasure. She was going to enjoy the time she had with her mom and her team. They were really nice. Alec was already teaching her some cool hacking tricks, Parker had promised to take her repelling down the building and had bought her three different tasers. And Eliot, sigh he was so sweet and handsome.
Her room was really cool too. It had a huge bed, Parker had bought a great comforter that had shades of blue and gold that looked like a geode. Alec was setting up a computer for her in the corner. Eliot was hanging up giant prints of the Andromeda galaxy on her walls. She’s pretty sure Alec had stolen the images straight from NASA, but they were gorgeous, so she didn’t care much how he had gotten them. Especially when he had gone through the trouble to get them after she mentioned how much she loved space. Being raised by strangers while your mom was off living her best life had left Darcy with a healthy respect for the stars. No matter where she was on Earth, she knew her mom was under the same sky, it made her feel a little less alone.
Eliot was trying really hard to remain calm and stoic. Darcy was 17 years old and Sophie’s daughter, but he felt a connection to her. It was an instant one he hadn’t ever felt with anyone outside of his team. It wasn’t attraction, not really, though she was attractive. As soon as he learned her age, he put a hold on that real quick. There was something about her eyes an aged wisdom he didn’t see outside of the service. This kid had seen things in her short life, things that had aged her in a way that few things could. When she had looked at the images of the galaxies Hardison had printed up from NASA, her face was at once open and closed. Her eyes shined with grateful tears, but her smile was haunted. How would a kid that age have such haunted eyes and still have the ability to smile like she did?
“All right, sweetheart, you get yourself settled in, I gotta get dinner started.”
“Dinner, could I help?” Her blue eyes shined at him, Eliot couldn’t say no.
“Alright let's go. Parker can put the rest of your things away while Hardison sets up the computer. Parker doesn’t try to put another taser, she only needs one!” Parker sent a wink at Darcy, she couldn’t help but laugh at the two taser's that were in her purse that Eliot hadn’t seen Parker get.
“This one has a double charge and a wider range.”
Eliot shook his head while Darcy just beamed at Parker.