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When Joe arrived at Thomas and Abby's house, late in the evening, they were all there. All together. All the Littleton siblings in one room for the first time in 14 years. And it was as if no time or death had occurred the second they settled in. Being together, for them, was like riding a bicycle. Second nature. And not even Adam was weirded out by Thomas's presence with them. Abby had her head in Thomas's lap and she was laughing as Ellie made faces responding to Adam's protest at Joe's inference that he was a girly man because his shirt matched his socks.
"My shirt doesn't match my socks." Joe continued. "And if they ever do match, I can guarantee that it was purely by accident."
"You should have your gay son dress you." Eleanor suggested, arching one eyebrow to show her disapproval. "He has better taste than almost anyone."
"But then people will think I'm a girly man and I can't mock Adam." Joe protested. "You're right though, Julian's taste is impeccable. I blame Jordan."
Thomas chuckled and he ran his fingers through Abby's hair. "Somehow, Joe, I think you'll be able to think of something to torture Adam with."
"Oi! Don't you help him!" Adam looked quite haughty and Eleanor's impression a second later was a dead ringer, causing Abby to snort again.
"You're so dainty, aren't you?" Thomas said to her, looking down at her and cocking his head to the side.
"Hey, no one ever called me girly!" Abby raised one hand in the air as if in triumph. "I think Ellie's the only female one of the lot of us."
"Thomas is marrying a guy." Adam said, pointing at his youngest brother.
"But you know he's going to do it with his cummerbund on backwards." Abby responded.
"Oh don't even joke about the cummerbund!" Thomas held his hands up in defeat. "That things is the current bane of my...is existence fair to say?"
"Well...you do exist now. Even if you're not necessarily alive..." Abby pondered.
"Oh my god, if you start talking metaphysics, I am out of here." Joe warned them all loudly.
"What the hell are metaphysics?" Ellie inquired, looking rather lost.
"And Eleanor is out of here too!" Joe added with a grin, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"I CAN STILL KICK, YOU KNOW!" Eleanor protested, but she was grinning.
"She can too." Thomas said with wide eyes. "All crazy and pregnancy-fueled. Man. ow."
Eleanor laughed and she settled back against the sofa, hands on the soft bulge that would be the newest addition to her ever-growing brood soon enough. "I wonder if they'll all be like this one day." She mused. "Our children. All sitting in a room, reminiscing."
Thomas reached out and he laid his hand on Ellie's stomach. "Of course they will. And it will be gorgeous. Mara can wow them all with her latest news, and Julian can show them all his newest artwork. Or his latest songs, if that's the way he goes. And you children can talk about how you're wonderful and you drive men crazy." Thomas said, winking at Eleanor. "And you can be the hot gramma wearing novelty shirts." Just like Lavinia. "It will be fantastic."
For a moment, all the Littletons simply nodded in silence, and then Joe looked up at Thomas with laughter in his eyes. "Remember the time you ate the sandwich Adam and I gave you and then we were watching you so much you demanded to know what we'd done to it and you wouldn't take 'nothing' for an answer?"
"I was just so used to you two being evil fuckers!" Thomas protested. "That was not my fault, you were messing with my head!"
"You were so pissed off!" Adam laughed, pointing. "By the end of it you made quite the spectacle of yourself, and even Loudmouth Jones told you to shut the hell up!"
"I thought you'd poisoned me!"
"We always were good with the head trips." Ellie conceded. "Good thing Abby's a shrink."
"Hey, don't ask me to analyse you, I'll never get through a one of you!" She said, holding her hands in the air. "You're all far beyond fixing. But you know...that's why I like you."
"Ahhh, thanks, Sunshine. You're cracked too." And Thomas leaned down to kiss her head and ruffled her hair.
"My shirt doesn't match my socks." Joe continued. "And if they ever do match, I can guarantee that it was purely by accident."
"You should have your gay son dress you." Eleanor suggested, arching one eyebrow to show her disapproval. "He has better taste than almost anyone."
"But then people will think I'm a girly man and I can't mock Adam." Joe protested. "You're right though, Julian's taste is impeccable. I blame Jordan."
Thomas chuckled and he ran his fingers through Abby's hair. "Somehow, Joe, I think you'll be able to think of something to torture Adam with."
"Oi! Don't you help him!" Adam looked quite haughty and Eleanor's impression a second later was a dead ringer, causing Abby to snort again.
"You're so dainty, aren't you?" Thomas said to her, looking down at her and cocking his head to the side.
"Hey, no one ever called me girly!" Abby raised one hand in the air as if in triumph. "I think Ellie's the only female one of the lot of us."
"Thomas is marrying a guy." Adam said, pointing at his youngest brother.
"But you know he's going to do it with his cummerbund on backwards." Abby responded.
"Oh don't even joke about the cummerbund!" Thomas held his hands up in defeat. "That things is the current bane of my...is existence fair to say?"
"Well...you do exist now. Even if you're not necessarily alive..." Abby pondered.
"Oh my god, if you start talking metaphysics, I am out of here." Joe warned them all loudly.
"What the hell are metaphysics?" Ellie inquired, looking rather lost.
"And Eleanor is out of here too!" Joe added with a grin, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"I CAN STILL KICK, YOU KNOW!" Eleanor protested, but she was grinning.
"She can too." Thomas said with wide eyes. "All crazy and pregnancy-fueled. Man. ow."
Eleanor laughed and she settled back against the sofa, hands on the soft bulge that would be the newest addition to her ever-growing brood soon enough. "I wonder if they'll all be like this one day." She mused. "Our children. All sitting in a room, reminiscing."
Thomas reached out and he laid his hand on Ellie's stomach. "Of course they will. And it will be gorgeous. Mara can wow them all with her latest news, and Julian can show them all his newest artwork. Or his latest songs, if that's the way he goes. And you children can talk about how you're wonderful and you drive men crazy." Thomas said, winking at Eleanor. "And you can be the hot gramma wearing novelty shirts." Just like Lavinia. "It will be fantastic."
For a moment, all the Littletons simply nodded in silence, and then Joe looked up at Thomas with laughter in his eyes. "Remember the time you ate the sandwich Adam and I gave you and then we were watching you so much you demanded to know what we'd done to it and you wouldn't take 'nothing' for an answer?"
"I was just so used to you two being evil fuckers!" Thomas protested. "That was not my fault, you were messing with my head!"
"You were so pissed off!" Adam laughed, pointing. "By the end of it you made quite the spectacle of yourself, and even Loudmouth Jones told you to shut the hell up!"
"I thought you'd poisoned me!"
"We always were good with the head trips." Ellie conceded. "Good thing Abby's a shrink."
"Hey, don't ask me to analyse you, I'll never get through a one of you!" She said, holding her hands in the air. "You're all far beyond fixing. But you know...that's why I like you."
"Ahhh, thanks, Sunshine. You're cracked too." And Thomas leaned down to kiss her head and ruffled her hair.
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