Fic: Karma
Title: Karma
Author: reve_silencieux
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Neal, Sara, Peter, Diana, Jones, Mozzie, Elizabeth (N/S)
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 1,400
Beta: sherylyn
Summary: You know what they say about Karma... it's about to hit Neal hard.
Series: A Time and a Place for Everything
Author's Note: This is yet another short fic from my old fluffy series that I wrote a couple years ago, and finally cleaned up. It wasn't quite planned... but I had a funny idea and kept adding to it over time.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Sara looked up in disbelief.
Dr. Adams shook her head and smiled.
Sara glanced over at Neal and glared at him. “I am going to kill you.”
He held up his hands, eyes wide and admittedly looking scared. “Hey! This is NOT my fault.”
Her doctor chuckled and went on with the ultrasound. “From what I can tell, there’s a good likelihood that they’re identical, but we won’t know for sure until birth or we determine their gender.”
Sara groaned and dropped her head back down on the exam table.
This was not how she had envisioned her day going.
*~*~*~*
Peter broke out into a big grin. “This is karma.”
It was Neal’s turn to groan. “Don’t say that.”
He shook his head and laughed. “I hope you have boys.”
“No!” Neal look horrified.
“So you’re saying you’d rather live in a house full of girls, hormones, nail polish, and boyfriends…” Neal winced, but Peter kept going, “…than have twin boys?”
“God, yes.”
Peter chuckled. “You know you’re screwed either way, don’t you?”
Neal’s shoulders slumped. “Yep.”
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” Peter slapped him on the back, still beaming.
"I'm glad you find this so entertaining. You're not the one who has to rob a bank to pay for his kids' college education."
Peter’s grin fell and he frowned. "Don't even joke about that."
"I thought it was funny."
"Not even close."
"Oh come on, Peter, have you ever known me to rob a bank?"
"Allegedly?"
Neal smirked. "You're catching on."
*~*~*~*
“This is fantastic!” Mozzie exclaimed.
Sara shot him a dirty look and Neal waved his hands behind her frantically, trying to warn Mozzie to stop.
“No, really! The things we could do! Too bad we’ll have to wait for them to grow up before we can really have some fun.”
Neal sank into a kitchen chair, resigned to the impending blowup.
Sara stalked toward Mozzie, getting right into his face. To his credit, he did shrink back, realizing he might have gone too far. “There will be no charming, conning or doing anything with my kids, do you hear me?”
Mozzie walked backwards, glancing over his shoulder at Neal who just shrugged, and headed for the front door. “I think it just needs to sink in a little and you’ll calm down. Meditation is the soul's perspective glass. I’ll leave you two be now.” He opened the door and then slammed it behind him as he ran off.
*~*~*~*
“Congratulations, you're having boys.”
They both groaned. Sara flopped her arm over her eyes and growled, “This time it is SO your fault, Caffrey."
“Boys aren’t that bad, Sara. I have two of them myself,” Dr. Adams said calmly as she punched a few buttons to snap some pictures.
Sara lowered her arm and glanced at her doctor. “Oh no, you don’t get it. This one,” she waved toward Neal, “hustled pool halls at age nine. And I’m pretty sure he was charming women before he lost all of his baby teeth.”
Neal smiled proudly and Dr. Adams laughed, shaking her head.
“No, these two boys are going to be the death of me," Sara muttered.
*~*~*~*
Diana snickered then covered her mouth as she started laughing. She bent over, clutching her stomach and waved her hand in the air. "I'm sorry, but this is too funny."
Jones raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you are aware that we'll be babysitting them?"
She froze and her eyes widened comically. "Oh shit."
"Hey!" Neal exclaimed, looking mildly disturbed. "You love babysitting Sophie."
Diana gave him a pointed look. "Sophie is an angel. Are you sure she's yours? But really, if these boys take after you, they're going to be a menace to society."
Jones smothered a laugh, trying to cover it up with a cough. Neal just glared at him.
"I'm not that bad! I'm a gentleman, I have manners."
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter - they're BOYS," Diana emphasized.
"Now, just because you don't like boys-" Neal started and Jones stood up, interrupting him.
"On that note... I think I should get back to work. Congratulations, Caffrey."
Diana turned to Neal and the look on her face made him gulp and stumble back. He waved towards his desk. "I, uh, think I'll go finish my report."
*~*~*~*
“You wanted to be a twin, didn’t you?” Neal asked Mozzie as the two of them sat on the living room floor putting together mobiles for the two cribs that sat waiting in the new nursery. (One of them was the planetary system, to which Mozzie had emphatically insisted that Pluto be included, after a long-winded rant, claiming it was absolute heresy that it had been downgraded.)
Mozzie's eyes lit up. “Ever since I was five! I saw Andy and Brian run circles around the teachers in kindergarten. They were smart - they got extra snacks because the teachers could never keep track of them. Then, in second grade, they had the meanest teacher, Mrs. Henderson, in tears after one of their infamous pranks. They were pure geniuses." He paused, then shrugged. "Plus, then I’d finally have someone my equal."
Neal grinned.
*~*~*~*
“Personally, I think it’s wonderful.”
Sara looked up from where she was helping Sophie with her dinner. She raised an eyebrow, questioningly.
Elizabeth smiled. “No, really. Have you seen any photos from when Neal was younger?”
“A few,” she hedged, thinking back to the visit with his mother. It had been an eye opener, but she couldn’t deny that he’d been a cute kid.
“I bet Neal was adorable.” She paused. “Sara, I know you’re worried they’ll turn out like him - which isn’t bad - but you’re half of the gene pool too, remember. Look at Sophie, she turned out great.”
Sophie, upon hearing her name, looked up and gave them a big toothy grin that was pure Caffrey.
“She’s not even two,” Sara replied dryly.
“Are you expecting her to be forging a Monet already?” Elizabeth asked, amused. “Look, the two of you will raise them right, I’m sure of that. I know you’re probably scared, twins are a big deal. But don’t let that overwhelm you. And even if they do take after Neal, you simply, you know,” she waved her hand in the air, “learn how to deal with them.”
“You mean punishment?”
“Not necessarily.” She nodded at Peter and Neal. “You just… nudge them onto the right path,” Elizabeth explained.
Sara eyed her suspiciously. “Is this coming from years of experience?”
Elizabeth simply shrugged and smiled, taking a sip of her tea. “All I’m saying is, you already know how to handle one Caffrey, you’ll figure out how to handle the two newest ones.”
Sara glanced back at Peter and Neal where they were watching a baseball game in the living room. Neal looked pained as Peter was explaining something in great detail.
“Neal?” she called out.
His head snapped up and looked at her hopefully. “Yes?”
“Can you go start Sophie’s bath, please?”
Neal looked like she had just offered him the Hope Diamond. He was on his feet in seconds and briefly shot a Peter an apologetic look before bounding up the stairs.
Sara and Elizabeth shared a knowing look and burst out laughing.
Nudge, indeed.
*~*~*~*
"You should name them Fred and George."
Neal looked up from his salad, his fork frozen in the air and stared at Peter incredulously. "Are you kidding me? There's no way I'm naming my kids after Harry Potter characters."
Peter shrugged, wiping a splotch of mustard off his mouth with a napkin. "If they take after Sara..."
"NO."
"Fred and George Caffrey - it has a certain ring to it."
*~*~*~*
“After this is over, you’re getting snipped. There will be no more little Caffreys running around,” Sara announced unceremoniously after she finally managed to settle into a comfortable position in bed. Although that was debatable in and of itself these days.
Neal winced. “Jeez, Repo, way to take a man’s dignity.”
There was some rustling underneath the sheets and then Neal's eyes widened. His breath hitched, as all the air escaped his lungs and he replied in a strangled voice, “Yes, dear.”
Fin
Author's Note: So, some eagle-eyes might have noticed a mention about Neal's mom. Once upon a time, I had planned a fic about visiting her, but alas... it never happened and I cannot for the life of me remember what the plot was going to be. Sadly, I believe this is the end for this series as I have a lot on my plate and probably will not return to it. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for all the lovely reviews over the past few years!
ETA: Whoops! I was just going through my hard drive and I found one more. I'll try to look at it sooner rather than later.
Author: reve_silencieux
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Neal, Sara, Peter, Diana, Jones, Mozzie, Elizabeth (N/S)
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 1,400
Beta: sherylyn
Summary: You know what they say about Karma... it's about to hit Neal hard.
Series: A Time and a Place for Everything
Author's Note: This is yet another short fic from my old fluffy series that I wrote a couple years ago, and finally cleaned up. It wasn't quite planned... but I had a funny idea and kept adding to it over time.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Sara looked up in disbelief.
Dr. Adams shook her head and smiled.
Sara glanced over at Neal and glared at him. “I am going to kill you.”
He held up his hands, eyes wide and admittedly looking scared. “Hey! This is NOT my fault.”
Her doctor chuckled and went on with the ultrasound. “From what I can tell, there’s a good likelihood that they’re identical, but we won’t know for sure until birth or we determine their gender.”
Sara groaned and dropped her head back down on the exam table.
This was not how she had envisioned her day going.
*~*~*~*
Peter broke out into a big grin. “This is karma.”
It was Neal’s turn to groan. “Don’t say that.”
He shook his head and laughed. “I hope you have boys.”
“No!” Neal look horrified.
“So you’re saying you’d rather live in a house full of girls, hormones, nail polish, and boyfriends…” Neal winced, but Peter kept going, “…than have twin boys?”
“God, yes.”
Peter chuckled. “You know you’re screwed either way, don’t you?”
Neal’s shoulders slumped. “Yep.”
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” Peter slapped him on the back, still beaming.
"I'm glad you find this so entertaining. You're not the one who has to rob a bank to pay for his kids' college education."
Peter’s grin fell and he frowned. "Don't even joke about that."
"I thought it was funny."
"Not even close."
"Oh come on, Peter, have you ever known me to rob a bank?"
"Allegedly?"
Neal smirked. "You're catching on."
*~*~*~*
“This is fantastic!” Mozzie exclaimed.
Sara shot him a dirty look and Neal waved his hands behind her frantically, trying to warn Mozzie to stop.
“No, really! The things we could do! Too bad we’ll have to wait for them to grow up before we can really have some fun.”
Neal sank into a kitchen chair, resigned to the impending blowup.
Sara stalked toward Mozzie, getting right into his face. To his credit, he did shrink back, realizing he might have gone too far. “There will be no charming, conning or doing anything with my kids, do you hear me?”
Mozzie walked backwards, glancing over his shoulder at Neal who just shrugged, and headed for the front door. “I think it just needs to sink in a little and you’ll calm down. Meditation is the soul's perspective glass. I’ll leave you two be now.” He opened the door and then slammed it behind him as he ran off.
*~*~*~*
“Congratulations, you're having boys.”
They both groaned. Sara flopped her arm over her eyes and growled, “This time it is SO your fault, Caffrey."
“Boys aren’t that bad, Sara. I have two of them myself,” Dr. Adams said calmly as she punched a few buttons to snap some pictures.
Sara lowered her arm and glanced at her doctor. “Oh no, you don’t get it. This one,” she waved toward Neal, “hustled pool halls at age nine. And I’m pretty sure he was charming women before he lost all of his baby teeth.”
Neal smiled proudly and Dr. Adams laughed, shaking her head.
“No, these two boys are going to be the death of me," Sara muttered.
*~*~*~*
Diana snickered then covered her mouth as she started laughing. She bent over, clutching her stomach and waved her hand in the air. "I'm sorry, but this is too funny."
Jones raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you are aware that we'll be babysitting them?"
She froze and her eyes widened comically. "Oh shit."
"Hey!" Neal exclaimed, looking mildly disturbed. "You love babysitting Sophie."
Diana gave him a pointed look. "Sophie is an angel. Are you sure she's yours? But really, if these boys take after you, they're going to be a menace to society."
Jones smothered a laugh, trying to cover it up with a cough. Neal just glared at him.
"I'm not that bad! I'm a gentleman, I have manners."
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter - they're BOYS," Diana emphasized.
"Now, just because you don't like boys-" Neal started and Jones stood up, interrupting him.
"On that note... I think I should get back to work. Congratulations, Caffrey."
Diana turned to Neal and the look on her face made him gulp and stumble back. He waved towards his desk. "I, uh, think I'll go finish my report."
*~*~*~*
“You wanted to be a twin, didn’t you?” Neal asked Mozzie as the two of them sat on the living room floor putting together mobiles for the two cribs that sat waiting in the new nursery. (One of them was the planetary system, to which Mozzie had emphatically insisted that Pluto be included, after a long-winded rant, claiming it was absolute heresy that it had been downgraded.)
Mozzie's eyes lit up. “Ever since I was five! I saw Andy and Brian run circles around the teachers in kindergarten. They were smart - they got extra snacks because the teachers could never keep track of them. Then, in second grade, they had the meanest teacher, Mrs. Henderson, in tears after one of their infamous pranks. They were pure geniuses." He paused, then shrugged. "Plus, then I’d finally have someone my equal."
Neal grinned.
*~*~*~*
“Personally, I think it’s wonderful.”
Sara looked up from where she was helping Sophie with her dinner. She raised an eyebrow, questioningly.
Elizabeth smiled. “No, really. Have you seen any photos from when Neal was younger?”
“A few,” she hedged, thinking back to the visit with his mother. It had been an eye opener, but she couldn’t deny that he’d been a cute kid.
“I bet Neal was adorable.” She paused. “Sara, I know you’re worried they’ll turn out like him - which isn’t bad - but you’re half of the gene pool too, remember. Look at Sophie, she turned out great.”
Sophie, upon hearing her name, looked up and gave them a big toothy grin that was pure Caffrey.
“She’s not even two,” Sara replied dryly.
“Are you expecting her to be forging a Monet already?” Elizabeth asked, amused. “Look, the two of you will raise them right, I’m sure of that. I know you’re probably scared, twins are a big deal. But don’t let that overwhelm you. And even if they do take after Neal, you simply, you know,” she waved her hand in the air, “learn how to deal with them.”
“You mean punishment?”
“Not necessarily.” She nodded at Peter and Neal. “You just… nudge them onto the right path,” Elizabeth explained.
Sara eyed her suspiciously. “Is this coming from years of experience?”
Elizabeth simply shrugged and smiled, taking a sip of her tea. “All I’m saying is, you already know how to handle one Caffrey, you’ll figure out how to handle the two newest ones.”
Sara glanced back at Peter and Neal where they were watching a baseball game in the living room. Neal looked pained as Peter was explaining something in great detail.
“Neal?” she called out.
His head snapped up and looked at her hopefully. “Yes?”
“Can you go start Sophie’s bath, please?”
Neal looked like she had just offered him the Hope Diamond. He was on his feet in seconds and briefly shot a Peter an apologetic look before bounding up the stairs.
Sara and Elizabeth shared a knowing look and burst out laughing.
Nudge, indeed.
*~*~*~*
"You should name them Fred and George."
Neal looked up from his salad, his fork frozen in the air and stared at Peter incredulously. "Are you kidding me? There's no way I'm naming my kids after Harry Potter characters."
Peter shrugged, wiping a splotch of mustard off his mouth with a napkin. "If they take after Sara..."
"NO."
"Fred and George Caffrey - it has a certain ring to it."
*~*~*~*
“After this is over, you’re getting snipped. There will be no more little Caffreys running around,” Sara announced unceremoniously after she finally managed to settle into a comfortable position in bed. Although that was debatable in and of itself these days.
Neal winced. “Jeez, Repo, way to take a man’s dignity.”
There was some rustling underneath the sheets and then Neal's eyes widened. His breath hitched, as all the air escaped his lungs and he replied in a strangled voice, “Yes, dear.”
Fin
Author's Note: So, some eagle-eyes might have noticed a mention about Neal's mom. Once upon a time, I had planned a fic about visiting her, but alas... it never happened and I cannot for the life of me remember what the plot was going to be. Sadly, I believe this is the end for this series as I have a lot on my plate and probably will not return to it. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for all the lovely reviews over the past few years!
ETA: Whoops! I was just going through my hard drive and I found one more. I'll try to look at it sooner rather than later.