spamalot } { of surprise fathers and christmas complications

[littlebitscary]

Fiona: [has the bags of presents for the baby in her arms which is a good thing, considering if she'd had the baby, it would have been bad for her to suddenly drop her in shock. But she doesn't! Derek has the baby and all she drops is a few bags of clothes so no harm done. What causes this, however, is a bit of shock at who is standing at their front door]

Patty: [he straightens slightly when he sees her, a bottle of whiskey in his hands with a bow around it. He's not dressed overly well, but his clothes are at least clean with no holes in them, and he looks like he at least took a bit of care in his appearance] Hey, Fiona.

Fiona: [is still ... mostly staring. Sorry, give her a moment and her brain will catch up with her probably. Maybe.]

Liam: [has a few of the bags but he smells the anxiety and being that he still has his own jittery moments, FIona being spoked doesn't bode well for him. He growls softly, taking a step forward before he feels Derek's hand on his shoulder and he stops.]

Derek: [no, he's the head of this family, so after calming Liam, he steps forward to put himself between Fiona and the stranger that smells just a bit like his wife - enough to make Derek know he's family] Hi, can I help you? [with a look that is not even masking his protectiveness]

Patty: Christ, look at you. You're all grown up. I mean, I knew you would be but ... look at you, with a family and everything. [he then looks back at Derek with a small smile] Sorry, I didn't mean to spook ya. [he shifts the bottle to one hand and holds out the other to Derek to shake] Patty. Patty O'Malley.

Fiona: [Derek stepping in front of her gives him a moment and eventually she finds her words] What are you doing here? I thought you were ...

Patty: Got out. Went to see your sister first, and that went about as well as could be expected, but she ... there was some paperwork with an address on it on a table.

Fiona: Pretty sure there was a phone number there too.

Patty: [looks down sheepishly at the bottle for a moment] Wasn't sure you'd pick up. Or if you did, that you'd stay on the line. I just wanted to see ya.

Fiona: [she swallows slowly for a moment before shaking her head, going to pick up the bags again] Now really isn't the best time, Dad.

Derek: [looks at the hand a moment, not really making a move to shake it. The man wasn't wanted, and he was going to go with his wife's instincts on this] Liam, take your sister inside, then come get the bags from your mother.

Liam: [nods, grabbing the car seat from Derek with both hands and goes to unlock the door and get in. He'll be back in a bit for the bags]

Derek: [shifts to make sure he's still blocking Patty from Fiona, but also barring the door.]

Patty: [lets his hand drop after a moment, getting the message.] Right. Sorry, I just thought ... it's Christmas. [Christmas was for family, after all.]

Fiona: [her face softens a bit at that, and she nods] I know. But ... not tonight, okay?

Patty: Yeah. Yeah, of course. [he then hands the bottle out to Derek all the same, a peace offering of sorts.] Brought this. Couldn't really afford much more of a gift.

Derek: [considers a moment, then takes it with a nod] Thank you. [because it is Christmas, after all]

Patty: [his head bobs a bit at that, and he pulls his hands back, wiping them idly against the rough material of his jeans] I'm staying at this motel not far from here. Walking distance, really. So if ... if there's a better day, you can just drop by. Room 215.

Fiona: [she nods a bit] Okay.

Patty: [his head nods again, before giving her a small smile] Really good seein' you, kiddo.

Fiona: Yeah. Good seeing you too. [how much she means it remains to be seen, but at least she said it. And with that, he heads back down the hallway to leave the building]

Liam: [comes back out to get the rest of the bags, looking up at them. Derek hands him the bottle as well, and he doesn't even make a joke about giving alcohol to a 14 year old, and just takes it all inside]

Derek: [turns to look at Fiona, worry all over his face] You okay?

Fiona: [one hand comes up to cover her mouth as she turns to face him, then glances down in the path her father left behind] I'm gonna kill my sister.

Derek: Normally I'd be against that, but I think you at least owe her a punch to the face. [reaches up to cup her cheek] Come on, let's get inside.

Fiona: [nods a bit as she lets him lead her inside, running a hand through her hair as she does]

Derek: [once his family is inside and safe, he locks the door. He turns to see that Lucy's car seat is on the living room table in it's chair position, the baby still sleeping peacefully]

Fiona: [makes her way into the kitchen and finds the bottle of whiskey, bow still intact on the counter. She glances down at the label for a moment, before letting out a half-laugh] I can't believe he still drinks this crap.

Derek: He did say he couldn't afford much. [goes over to rub her back a bit]

Fiona: He drank it even when he could afford it. [she leans back into him a bit] It smells like gasoline. Tastes worse.

Derek: Then we'll save it as antiseptic. [slides his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder]

Fiona: [smirks a bit at that before nodding, her head tipping to the side to rest against his] I guess.

Derek: [he's not going to make her talk about what she was feeling - Fiona would in her own time, he know. He was just going to be her silent support]

Fiona: He's not a bad guy. [there's a beat] I mean, Leah would probably tell it another way, but he's not. So ... don't be too mean to him.

Derek: Well, he spooked you, Fi. You don't get that spooked that often.

Fiona: I haven't seen him in twenty-five years.

Derek: Since you were little then.

Fiona: [she nods] I just wasn't expecting him. At all.

Derek: Want to tell me about it?

Fiona: [shifts a bit so that she was leaning back against the counter and facing him] He's not a bad guy he just makes bad choices. He had this crew he ran with back in New York, and the things they did weren't exactly legal, but he was always around. He took care of us, you know? But he took this one job, knocking over some jewelry store and the guy he's working with shoots the clerk behind the counter and kills him. Felony murder. Twenty-five to life. I was ten. [she swallows a bit] My mom was gone six months later so it was just the four of us and Leah sort of took over. I think she still blames him for mom leaving even though it really wasn't his fault that she decided abandoning her children would be a good idea.

Derek: Did you ever write or talk to him while he was in jail?

Fiona: [she shakes her head] I didn't know where or how to even start. Leah wouldn't tell me and I was ten, so ... it just sort of ended up being what it was.

Derek: Well... do you want to reach out to him and form your own opinions of him as an adult?

Fiona: [she exhales slowly] I don't know. I'm still sort of reeling.

Derek: Well, don't let anyone pressure you. This is on your timetable. [pulls her a bit closer] And I'll back your play.

Fiona: [she sighs as she leans into him, sliding her arms around his neck] Thank you.

Derek: [just leans forward to kiss her forehead]

Fiona: [she stays there for a moment, sinking into his hold before pulling back with a sigh] I should go make sure Liam's okay. [a beat] Oh, and if my dad does come by? He doesn't know about werewolves.

Derek: Well, that's going to be interesting since your entire family is made up of them. Except your brothers, but not everyone can be perfect. [smirks]

Fiona: [she laughs a bit at that] Yeah. I know. But we didn't find out until I was in high school so he doesn't know anything.

Derek: Then as long as he doesn't come around on a full moon, or try to follow up to mom's house, we should be okay.

Fiona: [she nods, leaning in to give him a quick kiss before heading to the stairs to find her son] I'll be back in a bit.

Derek: I'll go put the stuff away from mom's and check on Lucy while you do that.

Fiona: [nods and heads up to Liam's room, knocking lightly on the doorframe when she gets there] Hey.

Liam: [is sitting on his bed, bouncing a lacrosse ball against the wall] Hey. You okay now?

Fiona: Yeah. [she nods a bit as she goes to sit next to him] You okay?

Liam: You got scared. You don't get scared.

Fiona: I wasn't scared. I was ... spooked, definitely, but I wasn't scared. If you see him around, you don't have to worry about him. He's not going to hurt you.

Liam: [nods, holding onto his ball a moment] So that was your dad?

Fiona: [she nods] I haven't seen him in a really long time.

Liam: Is he a bad man?

Fiona: No. [she shakes her head] He just ... got into a lot of trouble and was in jail for a while.

Liam: What'd he do?

Fiona: Tried to rob a jewelry store? He used to pull a lot of stuff like that back then but on this one, one of his partners killed the clerk. My dad turned himself in but when someone dies in a commission of a crime it doesn't matter if you were the one who killed them or not, you still get charged with murder.

Liam: Oh. [looks at the ball] So your dad was a theif?

Fiona: My dad was ... a hustler. Who occasionally moonlighted as a thief. [she pauses] Not that I'm recommending either of these as legitimate career paths, but he wasn't a bad dad. He took care of us the best he could and always made sure we had enough to eat and all the important things. He just didn't do it ... legally.

Liam: Is that why you're good at your job then? Did he teach you?

Fiona: [she shrugs] A little. I was ten when he went away, but he taught me little stuff.

Liam: Like what?

Fiona: Looking at a problem from a different angle. Sleight of hand. How to sell a con.

Liam: Can you teach me?

Fiona: [she laughs softly] The first two, yes. The last one we'll see.

Liam: [small smile] Cool.

Fiona: You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. I still haven't decided if I want to talk to him. But if he is here, just know you don't have to worry. He's not going to be here to hurt anyone, okay?

Liam: Okay. But I'm not going to talk to him until you tell me I should. In case he wants me to tell him stuff I shouldn't.

Fiona: Okay. Sounds good. [slides an arm around his shoulders before pressing a kiss to his temple] And if you do see him, he doesn't know wolfy things, so let's keep this on the DL for now.

Liam: Sure thing. [he leans into her, hugging her a bit.] Mom.

Fiona: [she sighs softly at that, leaning into the hug. she really does like the sound of that]

Liam: [so does he. It feels right now]

Fiona: [she holds onto the hug for a bit, before pulling back and rubbing his shoulders] So you good?

Liam: I'm good. Starting to get hungry again, but good.

Fiona: Well, there's plenty of leftovers so just come down and help yourself when you're ready.

Liam: Oh, I'm totally ready. [and he's up, kissing her cheek and then heading downstairs for food]

Fiona: [smirks and follows right behind him but detours to find Derek]

Derek: [is stretched out in bed, Lucy on his stomach, having drifted off to sleep]

Fiona: [watches him for a moment, smiling, before closing the door behind her and making her way over to the bed to pick up the baby]

Derek: [stirs the moment she tries to move the baby, blinking awake and then looking at her with a smile] Everything okay with Liam?

Fiona: Mmm-hmm. [she nods as she settles Lucy on her shoulder, bringing her over to the crib] A case of him being scared because I got spooked, that's all. We're good now.

Derek: He's becoming very protective of you. Did you hear his little growl trying to take on your dad?

Fiona: I did. Which is why I also told him to keep a lid on the wolfiness if my dad's around.

Derek: Good plan.

Fiona: [she slowly puts Lucy down in the crib so that she doesn't wake her, before making her way back to bed and curling up next to him] I thought so.

Derek: [mmm, cuddle times. Because they were up early, two kids to deal with as well as the entire pack, and they only had a few minutes before Lucy would be up again. So no words, but there will be kissing]

Fiona: [mmmm kissing. She is good with that. Lots of kissing and general closeness all around.]

Derek: [oh yeah, totally making out like they were teenagers for a while]

Fiona: [they don't get to do this very often. They need to seize the moments when they have them]

Derek: [yup, which will last right up until the other Hale child decides that they are hungry, but can't get their own leftovers]

Lucy: [yep. There are tears and wailing and gnashing of gums as she does not have any teeth yet]

Fiona: [sighs softly as she pulls back from the kissing] Is it your turn or mine?

Derek: [sighs as well] Lost count. Mom had last.

Fiona: Roshambo? [she holds up her fist]

Derek: No, I'll take it. You just lay there and look pretty. [he kisses her, then gets up to go find the screaming baby something to eat]

Fiona: [sighs as she rolls over to watch him, at least until he leaves the room]