(no subject)
Title: When All is Said and Done
Warnings and disclaimers in prologue....unless sex is to be had in which case there will be a warning at the beginning of the chapter...which won't be for awhile. Enjoy!
Chapter List (for past and future chapters once posted)
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@-`--,---
April, 2002
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Greg shut the mudroom door behind him and sighed. What a long fucking shift. Mistake after mistake, from the bus driver to the collection of the alcohol bottle. He really shouldn't have gone out into the field at all, but he couldn't help it. It was almost like there was a string pulling him out to help, not that he had offered much. At least Nick had been good about it.
"I'm home!" He called out as he kicked off his shoes.
His house was huge and it seemed that every room in the place had a door of some kind, but his father was an electronics expert and had installed an intercom system, which could carry everyones voice to any public area in the house, just after he had moved in. The plus side to the system was that he could turn down the volume so that someone could be heard only by yelling or he could even turn it off.
"Don't shout Greg." A soft voice chided through the door in front of him.
Greg rolled his eyes as he stepped into the kitchen, sighing deeply as the wonderful scent of his Blue Hawaiian infiltrated his sense of smell, "Rayne, you are a heaven sent angel." He said happily as she pressed a fresh mug into his hands.
The older women snorted and brushed a lock of silver hair out of her face, "A heaven sent angel who needs to get home."
"I don't see why you just won't move in here." Greg said, after taking a gulp of his coffee, “I could find another place for nana and papa to sleep.”
"I've told you before and I'll probably tell you many times in the future. Mark likes simple living. This," She waved her hand to emphasis the entire house, "This is not simple." She grabbed her bag off the counter and kissed his cheek, "You're a good boy, but I also can't stand that atrocious music you listen to."
Greg's answering grin was a bit sheepish, "Yes, well...tell Mark that I said to keep you well rested this week. I've got three nights off, the party's on Sunday, and everyone is in town for the week after."
"It'll be well spent, even if your mother does drag me out shopping. Eli is still in bed. Give him a kiss for me and tell him we'll see him on Sunday." With that said, Rayne stepped out of the house the same way Greg had entered. Greg set his coffee on the island and followed her, but instead of heading back to the garage or outside, he went up the back stairs.
He walked through the gallery at the top and was heading around the circular landing when the doorbell rang. He groaned, realizing that it wasn't Rayne returning since she had her own key, and turned to the left instead of the right and went down the round, main staircase. He looked through the peephole in the door and raised both eyebrows in surprise when he saw who was on the other side.
"Nick?" He asked as he opened the door. He wondered briefly how Nick had even found out where he lived, but the thought was fleeting and already gone when Nick started speaking.
"Hey G. I ah, came to see how you were. You practically ran out of the lab after shift ended." Nick said, a bashful look on his face. Greg was always amused when the shy part of Nick made appearance, because at work, Nick had no nonsense type attitude. It made it seem like the Texan had a split personality sometimes.
He opened the door all the way and stepped back, allowing Nick entrance. He shut the door behind him and motioned for Nick to follow him to the kitchen, "I'm okay. A little ticked at myself still, but the initial embarrassment has worn off. You want some coffee? Or something to eat maybe?" he asked, deciding to change the subject. He really did not want to talk about all that had happened the night before.
"That would be great."
Greg looked over his shoulder and couldn't keep the smirk off his face as Nick took in the size of the rooms they passed, most of them decorated in leather and dark cherry wood.
"I, um, took you more for an apartment kind of guy. Like those fancy lofts and condos off the strip. Not...not this." Nick continued as he stopped at the entry to the family room, which was just beyond the kitchen at the back of the house.
The family room was definitely the showcase of the home, excluding Greg's bedroom that is. There were floor to ceiling windows with the cherry wood trim and a large, gray, stone fireplace that followed the wall all the way up to the ceiling, exposing some of the chimney. He had squared off the two tan leather couches and their matching chair around the fireplace with a square coffee table in between that matched the window trim as well as the fireplaces mantel. Along the short, diagonal wall that separated the room from the kitchen was a small table that held a plant that was out growing its planter. Just above, Nick could see a picture frame, but his position in the doorway didn't allow him to see what the picture was of.
"It was inherited. I was my uncles only nephew and my aunt's sister and niece didn't want it." Greg leaned on the circular pillar next to him, "It's part of why I moved here. Always loved visiting and couldn't find it in myself to sell it when the option arose."
Nick turned to face him, finally pulling his gaze from where had been staring, which was at the view through the large windows, "You'll have to give me a tour."
"I will in a bit. Let's get something to eat first, I'm starving." Greg turned and went into the kitchen. He headed for the far end of the rectangular room to where a stove was sitting under a large silver exhaust hood and pulled out a couple of pans, "Have a seat at the island. We don't really use the kitchen table."
Nick opened his mouth to ask where the 'we' came from as he pulled out one of the island stools. He was sufficiently cut off, however, as a wail of, "daaaaadyyyy." carried through the room.
Greg blushed a tomato red as Nick's now wide eyes flew to look at him, his eyebrows raised in shock. Clearing his throat, Greg stepped over to the intercom panel in the wall and pressed a little black button, "In the kitchen sproglet." He said, figuring Rayne had turned off the sound system when she heard him get home, as Elijah's voice had traveled from the staircase and not the intercom.
A small "k." floated back through after he let go of the button.
He went to the fridge and began digging through it, hoping to use it as an escape from any questions Nick might have at the moment. Both of them flirted with each other tremendously at work and he didn't really need his meager hopes of being with Nick crushed because he had a three-year-old son.
When a full minute passed without Nick saying anything, Greg became worried. He was getting a bit cold as well, so he stood up with the eggs, cheese, and a blue sippy cup in his hands before peeking around the fridge door. To say that he was surprised by what he saw would be a huge understatement. Nick was on his knees in front of his son and both of them were trying to stare the other one down.
Finally Elijah broke out into a huge grin and held out his hand, just like his grandpa taught him, "i eli."
Nick laughed and shook the hand offered, "I'm Nick. I work with your dad."
Elijah's eyes widened as he realized who was in front of him, "daddy 'ikes you!"
And here Greg thought that blushing so much was long in the past. Apparently, he was very much wrong when he felt the blush return with a vengeance, "I like everyone at work, sproglet. Let's get you in your booster before I give you your milk."
"k." Elijah scrambled up onto an island stool opposite the one Nick had pulled out for himself. He murmured his thanks as Greg handed him his milk and he wrapped both hands around his cup to take as big of a drink as he could through the spout.
Nick's smile grew, "Cute kid, G." He leaned against the counter next to the stove, where Greg was now scrambling up some eggs and bacon, "What's his full name? ...Where's his mom?"
Greg sighed and stabbed the spatula a bit harder than he needed to at the eggs as he added the cheese, "His full name is Elijah Henrik. Eli is just easier for him to say. And she's gone...didn't want him. Was putting him up for adoption but when I found out about it, I took her to court after finding out he was mine."
"That sucks. Here, why don't I do that before you ruin the pan." Nick took the spatula from Greg's tense fingers and nudged the lab-rat gently out of the way with his hip, "I didn't mean to make you upset."
"It's okay. It's been three years and my parents won't tell her where I am if she ever comes around looking. That's the other reason I moved out here. I got scared she would want him back and she wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world."
"I suppose that's understandable. These are done. Where...?" Nick pulled the pan of eggs off the burner and looked around.
"Oh, here." Greg pulled a platter from the cupboard he was standing by and Nick dumped the eggs out. Greg set the platter on the chopping block at their end of the island to cool as he started on the toast.
Nick flipped the bacon and looked at Elijah who was surprisingly quiet. The little red head was still sucking on his sippy cup and coloring in a small activities pad, "Who watches him when you work?"
Greg looked at Nick and thought he heard something in the Texans voice, and a memory niggled at the back of his mind about it but he decided it was something that didn't need to be pushed, "My uncles sister-in-law Rayne. They live in a small cabin down the road at the very edge of the property. Rayne's husband, Mark, is the one who takes care of the lawn mowing and calling in exterminators for the bugs and stuff every spring." He laughed as he buttered the first batch of toast, "I've been trying to get them to move up here to the main house since I got here, but Rayne won't hear of it. She blames Mark, but I think their cabin just has too many memories for her to leave."
"How do they get back and forth from here to their place? I didn't see anyone when I came up and it's a very open yard." Nick's face held a bewildered look as he started piling the finished bacon onto the egg platter.
"Oh, Mark watches the main road for me, which loops around the back of the property and then drives a golf cart up one of the paths to pick her up." Greg placed the last of the toast onto the large platter as well before going around to get plates and silverware.
He handed both piles to Nick and went about tugging Elijah's book away from him. Once that was accomplished and Nick started serving the food, Greg got two glasses down and went to the fridge, "Milk, orange juice, apple juice, or lemonade?"
"What kind of milk?" Nick asked, dropping into his seat.
"Um, two percent and skim."
"Two percent please."
Greg handed him his glass and went around the table to sit down next to Elijah, a plate already set there as if Nick had been expecting him to sit there, "Tour after breakfast?" Greg asked, as he playfully swatted his fork at Elijah's wondering fingers that were aiming for his bacon.
"God yes. I want to see the rest of this palace."
~~
Nick dropped onto a suede covered couch and looked around the room they were in in complete shock, "A media room. You have a fu...er, freaking media room."
Greg snickered and leaned against the wall, he too looking around at the media room. Two long couches at different heights faced a large, built in movie screen. It was smaller than a theaters, but bigger then any TV he had ever seen in the stores. Behind the second couch was a mini-bar that housed the movie player as well a decent sized video library. There were also a couple of comfortable stools placed behind it. "Aunt Sabine's idea as a gift for me and Rayne's daughter, Lauren. Well, that's the argument Uncle Rick gave when my dad and Mark talked to him about it."
Nick's mouth dropped open even further, “Wish my family was that considerate.”
Greg shook his head and straightened up, "Come on. The room Eli took off for is next. If you think this knocked your socks off...wait." Greg motioned for Nick to get up and he led the way to a set of doors opposite the ones they had entered the media room through. Elijah had left one of the double doors cracked when had he raced on past his father, so Greg just had to nudge the door open with his elbow.
He stepped off to the side quickly so he could catch Nick's face when he came through. He knew the first thing Nick would see would be the fully functional kitchenette with full sized fridge. Nick's face however, still wore the shocked expression from the media room, so the kitchenette was a bit of a let down for Greg, who was fully enjoying himself. Time for the kill, Greg thought. He got a good grip on Nick's shoulder and thrust him forward about ten feet.
"Fuck."
Greg whooped in laughter. That reaction was better then he thought it would be. The room they were in now was above the porte cocher, which separated the main garage from another, smaller one and was considerably longer then it was wide. The arched ceiling was painted in a cloud mural done by his aunt and his uncle had furnished the room, although Greg had removed the poker table and stored it in the empty garage below. Outside of the sound system this room had, the one thing he left for himself was the red felted pool table and matching accessories, like the tall bar table and it's matching chairs.
The rest of the room was completely Elijah's. There were toys scattered about as well as a small toddler scooter and a tricycle. There was a plasma screen TV on the wall closest to the main house that Greg pointed out were for Elijah's cartoon movies, of which he had many, if the two full bookshelves surrounding the TV were any indication.
Elijah rode his scooter over to Nick and tugged on the Texans jeans. Nick kneeled down so he was eye level with the toddler, "Yes, little man?"
Elijah giggled and glanced at his father before stating, "come my pow-tee, k?"
"Sure thing, Eli. I'd be glad to come." Nick stood up as Elijah let out a happy squeal and peeled away, "A party?" Nick asked, looking over at Greg.
Greg didn't notice, as he was watching Elijah ride around and feeling stunned by the event that had just taken place. Usually, his son was shy and sort of reclusive around strangers. It had taken over a month for him to finally feel comfortable around 'aunty wayne,' even if he had been less than a year old at the time, but it seemed Elijah was feeling right at home with Nick.
"G?"
Greg started and looked at Nick, "What?"
"I asked about Elijah's party?"
"Oh, yeah, Sunday. He turns three tomorrow so...party on Sunday." Greg said, before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was steadily moving towards nine, he noticed with a wince, "Eli, let's go get you dressed. You need to be at day care in half an hour so dad can get some sleep."
"k!" Elijah jumped off his scooter and ran out of the room, Nick and Greg following him at a much more sedated pace.
~~
"nickyyyy! you hewe!" The sound of a laughing three-year-old as well as his name caught his attention and Nick managed to drop Elijah's gift onto the picnic table with the rest just as Elijah threw himself at him. Elijah may have been small for his age, but he could squirm with the best of them and Nick learned early on that two hands were the safest course of action when it came to holding the red-headed child.
Nick laughed and swung him around before settling him on his hip, "So, are all those presents for me?"
Elijah threw his head back and laughed, "no! dos mine!"
"Well, phooey. Where's your dad?"
"Wif gamma and gampa and papa and nana."
Nick had met the rest of the Sanders/Hojem clan yesterday when he had spontaneously decided to spend the day with the small family. Around three in the afternoon, Greg had left Elijah in his care to head to the airport and pick up his parents and grandparents. It had felt good that Greg trusted him that much with his son.
Nick had remembered, upon meeting the family, the few times in the past when Greg had mentioned his beloved grandfather. He had always commented on how much of a prankster the older man could be. Nick found that out first hand as papa Olaf had produced and pulled off on him the oldest trick in the book. A hand buzzer. They had then proceeded to have a small family birthday party for Elijah, with the larger presents and some cake and ice cream. Nick had felt like he was intruding a bit but he was also glad that he hadn't missed out on it.
"Where's that?" Nick asked, looking around the large backyard but not seeing his wild haired friend anywhere.
"pato. i go bounce, k?" Elijah said and squirmed to be let down.
"Alright, go on you squirrelly rascal." He set Elijah on his feet and watched after him as he ran back to a miniature moon bouncer that was overrun with toddlers Elijah's age and surrounded by gossiping parents. He shook his head and headed down a small set of decorative stone steps that led to the half outdoor, half indoor patio. There, he spotted Greg and his grandparents standing around the large brick fireplace watching a couple who were talking to his parents in a heated discussion, "What's goin' on?"
Greg had been watching Nick's earlier interaction with Elijah with what he knew had to be a very adoring gaze and that was the reason for his minor unhappiness at the moment. The other couple had spotted the look on his face as Nick talked with his son and weren't too thrilled about it, hence the argument taking place by the grill.
"Just a couple of party poopers." Greg replied, ignoring his papa's amused look and his grandmothers scandalized one at his language, as minor as it had been.
"They're a couple of homophobic assholes and I don't want them here anymore." Jan Sanders growled as she joined them. Her dark brown hair was blowing in the slight breeze, making her seem like a formidable opponent despite her five foot four stature. Between that, her flashing brown eyes and flushed cheeks, Nick was slightly terrified of Greg's mom and made a vow then and there to always stay on her good side, even as he looked around for the couple they were talking about.
"Mom, I can't just kick them out for a stupid opinion." Greg said, ignoring Nick completely. Greg knew what, or rather who, Nick was looking for but couldn't bring himself to tell him that he wouldn't find them with the other parents milling about. He wished briefly that Bobby had been able to make it. Maybe his presence would have curbed Nick's curiosity.
"Greg, normally I wouldn't care but they're talking about my son! I won't have it." She took a sip of the lemonade her father had shoved in her face and sighed as the ice cool liquid seemed to calm her frazzled nerves somewhat.
Nick's head shot around to look at Greg and then his mother, before following her glare towards her husband and the homophobic couple as he finally figured out what was going on. They were now staring at him and in a none too friendly way either.
He laughed in amusement and slung an arm around Greg's shoulders, something he had done a few times at the lab on purpose to gather intel on the homophobic people at work who didn't already know about him. If he was ever to have a relationship with Greg, he certainly didn't want to hide it. And looking at the now flushed Greg and taking in how he felt about the new kid in his life, he really wanted that.
"Just tell them to leave, G. They could end up spoiling the whole day for Elijah if they spread about their opinions to the other parents." Nick said, his grin widening as the other couples stares turned all the more nasty. They finally turned on their heals and started for the moon bouncer to collect their children, as Dave Sanders confirmed a few seconds later.
"Grill's fired up and ready. Nick, help Greg bring out the brats and hamburgers would you?" Dave asked, changing the subject after he mentioned the couple leaving, "Then, once we get everything cooked, we can haul out the rest of the food and refill the chips and sodas."
"Sure thing." Both men turned and went inside, not really paying much attention to the fact that Nick still had his arm around Greg's shoulders.
"I have just met Nick, but he seems a nice young man." Krista Hojem said, her watchful brown eyes following the two boys as they went into the house, "Certainly seems to live up to Greg's talk of him so far. He will be very good to our Greg." She muttered.
"He's good with Eli too, which is important. I can't count how many calls I got from Greg worrying about his crush on Nick and Elijah's reception to Nick or Nick's towards Eli." Jan said, agreeing with her mother, “Seems to me that everything is working out on both of those fronts.”
Olaf snorted into his soda, "Please. If boy's not together by end of week, we throw them in closet somewhere. Greg has plenty big ones."
"Dad!" Jan said, smacking her father softly on the arm at the same time Krista did to a cry of, "Olaf!"
Olaf held up his hands as Dave laughed, "Just saying."
~~
Greg sat down on the bed next to Elijah and ran his fingers through his sons soft curls, “Did you have fun today?”
Elijah nodded and caught Greg's fingers in his little hands, “do poem?”
“Which one?” Greg asked, feeling a bit confused. He had spoken many poems and rhymes around and for his son.
“wanke.”
“You're already tucked in, my little mouse.” Greg pressed his free hand to the blanket fold resting on Elijah's chest in emphasis, “We are not doing 'ride, ride, ranke.'”
“aww.”
Greg smiled and tugged his fingers away, “How about we do the naming one?”
“k.”
“You remember what to do?” Greg asked, eyeing his son suspiciously. Granted, they had been doing this particular rhyme since Elijah had begun talking, but sometimes his son was prone to exaggeration. When Elijah nodded his head rapidly, Greg nodded as well and started, “Panneben.” Elijah pointed to his forehead, “øyesten,” the little finger moved to his eye, “øreflipp,” then to his ear, “nesetipp,” Here, Greg intercepted the moving finger and tweaked Elijah's nose, causing the toddler to start giggling.
“munneleppe,” Greg bent over and gave Elijah a kiss at the corner of his mouth, “hageslipp og dikkedikkedikk,” Greg pointed to Elijah's small chin before tickling underneath as he spoke the last part of the rhyme.
Elijah laughed and kicked his feet under the blankets as he squirmed to get away from the tickling fingers. When Greg pulled them away, the toddler went lax with a happy sigh, “dat fun.”
“I know sproglet. Get some sleep.” Greg said, leaning in again to kiss Elijah's temple.
“k. nite daddy.”
“Night, baby boy.” Greg said and stood up. He pulled the covers up to Elijah's chin and hit play on the CD player on the dresser, making sure the volume hadn't been played with, before walking out and shutting the door behind him. He turned around to head downstairs and stopped short when he saw his grandparents standing in front of him, “Hi.”
Krista reached out and touched his cheek gently while Olaf smiled, “So proud of you.” She whispered, “You learn and go on to teach. Make nana's heart swell.”
Greg flushed and shrugged, “It's important to me and I just want Elijah to know what I know.”
“And that is why I'm proud of you.”
~~
TBC...
Chapter 2
a/n: the Norwegian in this chapter is pretty much self-explanatory, I think.