fandomtownies | Luke's, Monday

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Luke's, Monday

Eliot was in a terrific mood at the diner today, as evidenced by his broad grin and his flipping literally everything he picked up. Spatulas, ladles, frying pans, pens, glasses, even a napkin dispenser -- which was an awkward shape to casually flip. Even eventually noticing that members of the waitstaff were surreptitiously following him around and filming all this flipping didn't tick him off today. He just cheerfully shook his head.

"What are you doing?"

"YouTube," said one.

"The kitchen guys have a bet on when you're going to start juggling," said the other.

Eliot flipped the ketchup bottle he was holding with another shake of his head. "No YouTube."

"But --"

"No. YouTube."

"What if I crop out your face?"

Eliot tilted his head, spinning a napkin wrapped silverware set in his hand, then nodded. "Yeah. That'd be okay."

Today's specials
Chicken-fried steak with gravy
Chili cheese fries
Pecan praline cheesecake

Luke's was open.

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Kathy's dimples were in full view at Eliot's throat-clearing. "Glad to hear," she said, impishly. "An active holiday is a healthy and happy one."

She knew from experience.

"Glad you got a chance to say hello to the family."

"Me too. Tru and the girls missed you, you know." Jake and Johnny probably did too, but they were less likely to say it. "Cassie even sent along a present for you."

"She did?" Kathy flushed, pleased to have been remembered. "Oh, now I feel bad I didn't send anything along!"

Eliot shook his head. "Don't even worry about it. I'm thinkin' she was half just tryin' to show up her sister. I got it in the office, let me grab it for you."

"Okay," Kathy said, then held up hers. "I've got mine for you, too."

Her smile twisted, turned nervous. "Hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will," Eliot assured her, reaching over to give her a quick one-armed squeeze. "Be back in two shakes."

Kathy ordered a kimchi portobello burger--along with a helping side order of nostalgia for the long-gone Pickle Hut in LA--and tried not to fiddle too much while Eliot was gone. Hardison had told her repeatedly that Eliot would like it, but she still couldn't help but worry.

Eliot came out of the office carrying two boxes, one much longer than the other. The long one was an unwrapped, unmarked carrying case, made of black leather with high quality, stainless steel clasps and a big novelty bow wrapped around it. The smaller one was wrapped in the brightest, sparkliest paper Eliot had ever seen, complete with thin, curled, glittery ribbon.

"I'm thinkin' you can guess which is which," he said. Portalocity had gotten a kick out of Cassie's wrapping job. "Which one you want first?"

"You know me," Kathy said, laughing at it herself. "I can't say no to bright colors."

She reached for Cassie's gift, sliding her own across the table to him.

Eliot huffed a laugh and passed her the box, hanging onto the gift she passed him until she'd finished opening hers.

She'd find a battered Amazon box under all that shiny, and in it, wrapped in what was clearly a couple layers of scrap leather, two hand-forged knives, made from an odd sort of metal that had a natural, rainbow sheen to it, like an oil slick.

"Did she make these?" Kathy marveled, picking one up to examine. "She is so talented, oh my gosh. And look at them when they catch the light!"

She could only imagine her joy to have gotten them as Banzai. Even now, she was excited to get them and she was supposedly 'over' rainbows.

"They fit my grip, look!" she said, showing them off.

Yeah, Eliot had probably seen them. So?

He had -- Cassie had given him a pair of them, too, only in a strange, blue metal. Eliot didn't mind being shown them again. "Thought you'd like those. She says she's got a broadsword she made in the same metal, but the knives came out better." He shrugged. "Ain't sure what the metal is . . . apparently she got it when she was in town visiting? Anyway, we'll see how well they hold an edge, but they're gorgeous either way."

He was extremely proud of his niece, yes.

"Now, let's see what we got here." He slid the longer package towards her, and started opening the one she'd given him.

Edited 2018-01-08 23:32 (UTC)

Kathy was too nervous to open her gift while Eliot was opening his. She mostly fiddled with hers, running her hands over the leather and playing with the snaps.

Under the wrapping, Eliot would find a long manila envelope. Inside that, he'd find a bunch of paperwork, the most important one on top.

It was a forgery, of course. But it was one of Hardison's forgeries, which meant it would hold up to even the most strenuous scrutiny.

Certificate of Adoption

It certified that one Eliot Byron Spencer did formally adopt one Katherine Hana Spencer-Li, January 29th, 2015, several weeks after her seventeenth birthday. Her amended birth certificate lay directly under it and below that was a third document, a consent form, with Kathy's signature already included. His was left blank.

"It's--it's not a hundred percent official yet," Kathy said, playing with her hair. "You have to--if you decide to sign it, then Hardison can finish doing all the things that need to be done so it's in every system."

They could have done it already and just given it to Eliot fair accompli, but Kathy wanted to give him the chance to sign it. Make it official. ~~Back out at the last second.~~ Whatever.

It was a lucky thing there was a chair behind him, because Eliot sat down without checking. He read it over, reaching up to wipe his hand across his eyes -- no real reason, you know, just a thing he did. . . . -- then looked up at Kathy. "You're sure?"

She'd signed it, but he still needed to check. Even if he was patting himself down looking for a pen at the same time.

Kathy let out the huge breath she'd been holding, nodding as tears started down her cheeks. "'Course," she said, thickly, crying and grinning at the same time. "I just wanted to make sure that you were."

"Damn right, I am," Eliot assured her, still patting down his pockets. "If I can just . . . I know I've got a. . . ." Screw it. "I'll sign it in a minute."

Right now he needed to pull her into a fierce hug.

Kathy had actually brought a pen along, she'd just forgotten it from all the wibbling and emotions. They'd figure it out in a second; there was some quality clinging to do, dammit.

"I love you," she murmured.

She still wasn't sure if she'd ever really be able to call him Dad. The word carried a lot of baggage from her old life. But whatever she called him aside, she wanted there to be no doubt how she really felt.

"I love you, too, Kathy," Eliot said. "More'n I'da thought possible."

Considering how much of his life he'd spent with his emotions deliberately shut down completely, his surprise was understandable.

Kathy finally remembered the pen, digging it out of her pocket and dropping it on the table before going back to the hug. From across the way, the busboy sniffled, still filming.

"I just thought it would be good to make it official, you know?" she said. "And now, no matter what happens, you're my...you're my dad."

With all the rights and responsibilities thereof.

"That'd be true anyway, darlin'. But this way, no one else can tell us different." Eliot picked up the pen without letting her go with his other hand, flipped through the pages to make sure he didn't miss any spots, and signed. "This is the greatest present anyone's ever given me."

"That's what I wanted," Kathy said, trying to blink away her tears. "I didn't want anybody to be able to say that it wasn't true or it didn't count. So if something ever happens to me or you..."

No one could chase them out. No one could say they didn't have a right to be there, to make decisions, to be a part of whatever came next.

If Hardison or Parker were around too, no one would be saying that, anyway. But Eliot didn't argue with her. "I know, kid. Me too."

He gave her one more squeeze, then nodded to the big case. "You've completely outdone me, but you still got a present there you should open, too."

True. But there had been a very long time when certain places wouldn't have accepted Hardison being there either, for one reason or another. Kathy wanted it set in stone.

"Okay," she said, wiping at the last of her tears away. She'd unfastened everything before, but hadn't bothered to open it, too intent on watching Eliot open his gift. But now she did, and audibly gasped. "My bokken!" she said, pulling it out. "Wait, no, it couldn't be."

Eliot wasn't that sentimental to go into ex-LA to fetch her old one. Plus, this gleamed with newness.

Eliot shook his head. "Not the same one, no. Similar enough that it should feel about the same when you use it, though. Was thinkin' you might want to get back to practicing. Maybe not to go out and fight, but just . . . you know."

When she picked it up, she'd find a small engraving along the hilt end, though. Reading: there's more then one way to be a hero.

Kathy felt her eyes welling again as she read the inscription. "I promise to take better care of this one," she said, feeling the familiar heft in her hand. It felt good there. Felt right.

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