Fic: Baby Prophecies
Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage or Buffy or Angel. I'm not making any money off of this either, more's the pity. Don't bother suing. You can't get blood out of a stone or money out of a broke, jobless college student, so spare us both the headache.
Author's Note: I wrote this for a prompt at comment_fic.
Eliot fell against the wall, his head spinning. He forced himself to slow his breathing. "Nate, Linds, I don't know what to do." He was panicking. He knew it.
He hadn't seen the dark-haired woman since nine months ago when she'd picked him up at a bar in Romania. He still didn't remember how he'd ended up naked in her bed. She'd been clearly insane, saying something about "he must stay human for the baby. He can't be my white knight." Then she'd slipped away just before the Russian mafia broke down the door.
She'd shown up on his doorstep yesterday, heavily pregnant, claiming he was the child's father. She'd told him the baby was special, he had to protect her, and teach her for when the slayer's witch called her. Whatever that meant. Just an hour ago, she'd driven a piece of wood through her chest before he could stop her. She'd turned to dust around a tiny, blue-eyed baby.
"What do I do? I've got a price on my head. She could get hurt because of me. I don't know how to be a dad. And she won't stop crying and I don't know what's wrong with her! And her mama's dead!"
Nate took the baby from his arms. "She's probably just hungry, Eliot. Let me call Sophie and tell her we need baby supplies. She's definitely your daughter. She's got that face you make right before hit someone."
Eliot was speechless. She couldn't be his. She was too tiny. Too helpless. Too beautiful.
"Don't worry about the legal crap, El," Lindsey added. "I'll get the birth certificate fixed up. What are you going to name her?"
Eliot groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "I don't know. I never thought I'd get to have kids."
"Did Dru say anything about the baby?" Lindsey persisted.
Eliot didn't look up. "She said she was special. Something about I need to protect her and train her. That a slayer witch would call her?" he mumbled into his hands.
"Just don't name her Buffy," Lindsey quipped.
"Then you name her."
"Darla," Lindsey replied. "Darla Aimee."
"Darla? Ain't she one of those two chicks that nearly killed you?"
Lindsey grimaced. "Yeah, and Dru was the other. But it was really my fault. Thing is, Eliot, Dru was a seer. She could see the past, the future... Sometimes things that were happening half the world away. This baby is already special. Vampires can't have children. From what Dru said, she's going to become a slayer. After this, I can't come near either of you. Wolfram and Hart will want the baby. She's meant to fight everything they stand for. Stay with your team. You're gonna need them."
Eliot frowned. "So now you're spouting prophecy, too?" He glanced desperately at Nate.
Lindsey shook his head. "No. I just know my employers. And, now that I know about the baby, they will know. I can't stop that. Just be careful."
"Don't worry, either of you." Both brothers looked up as Nate intruded on their discussion. "I'm not going to let anything happen to this little girl. If we have to move to the other side of the planet, we'll do that. Little Darla will grow up. She will be happy and healthy. She'll become the woman every girl dreams of being. And Eliot will be the father every daughter dreams of. Take your daughter, Eliot. You won't break her."
Eliot silently accepted his baby girl. As he looked at her face, he recognized his eyes and mouth in her. He'd never been more frightened in his life, not even when he'd been captured that first time. All these prophecies about his child... It wasn't fair to her. She was just a baby. Why couldn't she just be a normal baby? She deserved better than him. But she couldn't have her mother and he was afraid to give her to anyone else. He figured he'd just have to try to ignore it all and do the best for her he could. At least he could count on the team to help. Even if Sophie would take her shoe shopping and Parker would teach her to beat a Sterenko and Hardison would have her hacking into the CIA by the time she turned 10 and Nate would show her that recklessness tended to pay off.
Author's Note: I wrote this for a prompt at comment_fic.
Eliot fell against the wall, his head spinning. He forced himself to slow his breathing. "Nate, Linds, I don't know what to do." He was panicking. He knew it.
He hadn't seen the dark-haired woman since nine months ago when she'd picked him up at a bar in Romania. He still didn't remember how he'd ended up naked in her bed. She'd been clearly insane, saying something about "he must stay human for the baby. He can't be my white knight." Then she'd slipped away just before the Russian mafia broke down the door.
She'd shown up on his doorstep yesterday, heavily pregnant, claiming he was the child's father. She'd told him the baby was special, he had to protect her, and teach her for when the slayer's witch called her. Whatever that meant. Just an hour ago, she'd driven a piece of wood through her chest before he could stop her. She'd turned to dust around a tiny, blue-eyed baby.
"What do I do? I've got a price on my head. She could get hurt because of me. I don't know how to be a dad. And she won't stop crying and I don't know what's wrong with her! And her mama's dead!"
Nate took the baby from his arms. "She's probably just hungry, Eliot. Let me call Sophie and tell her we need baby supplies. She's definitely your daughter. She's got that face you make right before hit someone."
Eliot was speechless. She couldn't be his. She was too tiny. Too helpless. Too beautiful.
"Don't worry about the legal crap, El," Lindsey added. "I'll get the birth certificate fixed up. What are you going to name her?"
Eliot groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "I don't know. I never thought I'd get to have kids."
"Did Dru say anything about the baby?" Lindsey persisted.
Eliot didn't look up. "She said she was special. Something about I need to protect her and train her. That a slayer witch would call her?" he mumbled into his hands.
"Just don't name her Buffy," Lindsey quipped.
"Then you name her."
"Darla," Lindsey replied. "Darla Aimee."
"Darla? Ain't she one of those two chicks that nearly killed you?"
Lindsey grimaced. "Yeah, and Dru was the other. But it was really my fault. Thing is, Eliot, Dru was a seer. She could see the past, the future... Sometimes things that were happening half the world away. This baby is already special. Vampires can't have children. From what Dru said, she's going to become a slayer. After this, I can't come near either of you. Wolfram and Hart will want the baby. She's meant to fight everything they stand for. Stay with your team. You're gonna need them."
Eliot frowned. "So now you're spouting prophecy, too?" He glanced desperately at Nate.
Lindsey shook his head. "No. I just know my employers. And, now that I know about the baby, they will know. I can't stop that. Just be careful."
"Don't worry, either of you." Both brothers looked up as Nate intruded on their discussion. "I'm not going to let anything happen to this little girl. If we have to move to the other side of the planet, we'll do that. Little Darla will grow up. She will be happy and healthy. She'll become the woman every girl dreams of being. And Eliot will be the father every daughter dreams of. Take your daughter, Eliot. You won't break her."
Eliot silently accepted his baby girl. As he looked at her face, he recognized his eyes and mouth in her. He'd never been more frightened in his life, not even when he'd been captured that first time. All these prophecies about his child... It wasn't fair to her. She was just a baby. Why couldn't she just be a normal baby? She deserved better than him. But she couldn't have her mother and he was afraid to give her to anyone else. He figured he'd just have to try to ignore it all and do the best for her he could. At least he could count on the team to help. Even if Sophie would take her shoe shopping and Parker would teach her to beat a Sterenko and Hardison would have her hacking into the CIA by the time she turned 10 and Nate would show her that recklessness tended to pay off.