Dinner with Friends

[reluctant_gargoyle]

With an invitation to Harley to come to dinner, Elisa had rushed back home to make sure everything was going smoothly.  Broadway was in the kitchen, Angela helping him.

"So who's here right now?" she asked.

"Let's see...," Broadway said, "us, Goliath, Brooklyn, Kat, and the kids, I think.  Guin might be here.  Everybody else should be out."

"Jubes gonna be home for dinner?"

"Dunno, didn't say last time I saw her."

"Well, set some aside for her just in case.  I'm sure we've got plenty.  Gonna take much longer?"

"It should not," Angela said.  "Broadway is a master of the kitchen, after all."

"Aaaw... You're too nice, Angela."

"Good.  Harley should be here pretty soon."

Comments

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

And she did arrive moments after, with a small baby girl in arms.

"Honey I am home!"

((sorry - gypsies, tramps and thieves stole me from my computer, but back now))

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

((No worries.))

"Hey there, Harley," Elisa says, spying her friend. "Glad you made it. No traffic problems, eh?"

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Never are with the Nexus."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Well, c'mon in. Broadway and Angela are just putting the finishing touches on dinner."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Whatever it is, it smells good." Harley sets down a black bag by the door. Balancing April in her arms, she enters into the kitchen behind Elisa.

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Pot roast, I think, few other things too," Elisa says, as she leads the way toward the dining room. Goliath's already there, cradling Hope in his arms with a gentleness that seems strangely at odds with his size.

Guinevere's also there, as is Tachi, who's explaining something to the not-quite Demona, who's looking on with an odd combination of fascination and terror.

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

Harley pauses at the not-quite Demona, then glances at Elisa. "Okay... how much did I miss around here?"

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

Elisa breaks into laughter, prompting strange looks from everyone else.

"Oh yeah, you two haven't met, have you? Guinevere, this is Harley. Harley, this is Guinevere."

The red-haired teenager rises. "A pleasure. The others have spoken highly of you."

"Gwen's a bit, ah, time-tossed," Elisa explains. "And as near as we can figure, reality-tossed too."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"They have, have they?" Harley raises an eyebrow.

"Well, glad to meet you."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Well...," Elisa says with a wink, "maybe I fudged a few details. But Gwen's not the only newbie around here. There's Icy, this little blue girl I found in an iceberg in the Nexus, and she's totally sweet on Lex."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Aha. Hence the good talking about me. Fudged details." Harley nods with a smile, finding a chair.

"The clan is growing? That is good."

[elisas-clan.livejournal.com]

"It is," Goliath agrees. "We may never quite reach our former numbers... but we will be strong."

This would perhaps be more serious if not for the fact that Hope chose that moment to grab his nose.

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"I always thought that the clan would be strong. I never had any doubts, in fact."

April starts whimpering. Harley shushes her silently.

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"You are right, of course," Goliath says, gently prying loose his daughter's grip.

"Hey, guys, food's on!" Broadway calls out, as he comes out of the kitchen, carrying a tray, with Angela carrying another. This prompts the appearance of Brooklyn, Kat, and Nash.

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

Before joining the others at the table, Harley goes to that black bag and pulls out a bottle. The liquid inside in a white-red, which might look weird to those who are used to feeding babies.


Once April was on the bottle, Harley found her seat. "Everything looks good." Holding her child, she suddenly relizes how hard it will be dish up a plate for herself. "Oh drat."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Oh..." Elisa agrees. The bottle's perked some of her interest, but considering just who April's father is, is not quite the surprise it might be. "Hope's already eaten, right, Big Guy?"

"While you were in the kitchen, yes," Goliath says.

"Okay, Brooklyn, you go get Hope's playpen and baby carrier. We can put Hope in that, April can go in the carrier when she's done, and in the meantime, Broadway, you find filling Harley's plate?"

"Can do."

"No prob."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"And a soft pillow. Or two. To place around April." Harley requested.

She watched Broadway fill her plate. "Thank you dear."

[timedancers.livejournal.com]

"Leave it to me," Brooklyn said.

Tachi eyed April and piped in with, "She's so tiny!"

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"She is not full-grown yet, as she was born early." Harley softly explained.

[timedancers.livejournal.com]

"You mean her egg broke open early?" Tachi asks. "I didn't know that could happen..."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Humans are not born from eggs." Harley explained softly. "And sometimes, they get born before it is time. And when that happens, they sometimes get sick really easily."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

(started a new comment line)

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

Tachi mulls this over, before finally just going, "Oh."

Elisa, sitting nearest the girl next to her mother, tussles her hair. "See, you learned something today, kiddo."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry guys. Questions don't bother me."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"That is good," Kat says. "Tachi is a rather curious sort."

Elisa chuckles. "So how about us, huh? Moms."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"I am still not quite used to it." Harley glanced at April in her arms, making sure she was settled before gently placing her in the baby carrier.

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Heh. Me neither. Still hard to believe Hope's real sometimes."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"There are times when I doubt April is."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

Elisa looks over to the playpen, where Hope is rather happily gumming on one of her plush toys.

"Never would have expected to be a mother before. Not in a million years."

ooc - delete late

[in-jubilation.livejournal.com]

((all gargoyles are invited to come meet Jubes new friend Dean

http://in-jubilation.livejournal.com/65777.html))