Eggs: Chapter 3
I'm baaaaaaack! since this AU got so much appreciation, I thought about coming forth with a brand new chapter for y'all. hope you like it and let me know with a few comments, they're always nice :)
there it is on Ao3!
Words: 4500-ish words. I never count them properly LMAO
Genre: fluff, slice of life
Fandom: TAG
Characters: all of them of course! this time, I added in Quinn’s parents as well. you get to meet Charlie and Bentley :)
TW(?): swearing, but it's just da bot being too carefree lol
“Babe, hurry up!” Her mom shouts from downstairs, her frenetic walking around very audible to Quinn’s ears, who is just nonchalantly choosing something to wear for dinner. “They’ll be coming soon!” Quinn rolls her eyes, scrutinizing carefully a bright yellow flowery summer dress.
There's a quiet knock on her door, then it opens, and she turns face to face with her dad who quietly slips through the door and shuts it close, then moves to sit on the very edge of her fluffy queen-sized bed.
“She’s stress-cleaning again?” Quinn asks, earning an exhausted nod from her dad. During these times Bentley Prescott’s a bit stressful to be around with; when she’s stressed, she cleans compulsively, a…lovely gift from her germaphobia. Especially when she has people over and buys new things, she has this compulsive tendency to clean everything more than once, this resulting in her being extremely irritated and over-controlling. Quinn often wonders, if she was her real child and not her adopted one, if she could have gotten this trait from her. Well, luckily in this thing only, she will never find out.
“Are you nervous?” Charles, mostly called Charlie, Prescott asks her as he watches his daughter choose what to wear from the flood of clothes she’s got stacked in her closet, which is also quite a big heap. Other than that, many discarded options are sitting unceremoniously on the floor, many pretty dresses that would've been just fine. Seriously… he kinda envies the man who'll get to be her other half in the future.
For a moment, Quinn continues digging for the perfect outfit, wanting to just ignore his question or lie about it, to say she's not bothered by it at all, but the almost oppressive feeling of nervousness in her gut says otherwise. She decides to just stop searching for the outfit of the century, moving to sit on the bed by her dad’s side. “I am… just a bit.” Of course she'd try to downplay this… she wouldn't be Quinn otherwise.
But what's to downplay about this? She's nervous, of course she is! She just reached out on her own accord after four days of pure silence, and this invitation of hers to dinner is basically a very clear message, one of wanting to grow closer to them. She isn't yet sure if she wants to get close to them to know about Lucille, to get them to help her find Clinton as well, or just because… she now has five step-brothers. They share a blood connection with her, they're kin, and… they know about Lucille more than what she could ever find out on her own. Is it because of that?
“I know you're overthinking this, like usual…” Her dad brings her out of her own thoughts, recognizing the blank stare she gets when she's deeply in thought about something, placing a comforting arm on her shoulders as he pulls her in for a half-hug. “But it'll be alright. We knew you had a family outside of this house, and we never stopped you from reaching out to them. We knew it the moment we decided to have you, it's your right to reach out to them and, if you want to, even have a bond with them. Whatever you will decide to do from now on… we'll always support you. You know it.”
She stays silent, just thinking about his words. She knows her family is supportive as hell, they did nothing but support her ever since they've given her the folder containing information about her real family, but this… the prospect of a second family of sorts… after all, would she have stayed if Lucille was still alive? Or was it simply the need to meet her, and that's it? “I don't know what I want to do, dad…” She finally mutters, looking down at all the clothes scattered on the floor, all the discarded options for this event that's come to be the event of the century. “I know I can stay and bond with them, but you're my family, and this means I should go back and forth between…”
“And where's the problem in that?” Charlie intercepts, showing that ever comforting smile of his, the same smile that makes him such a caring person. “Queenie, you have more than one family, and that's as clear as a sunny sky. They're your step-brothers, they're blood. We are your family, yes, but we won't stop you. In fact, we'll be quite happy to see you happy; that's kinda our whole purpose. And with them… nonetheless.” He pauses for a moment, an almost fond look of sorts in his gaze. Yeah, both families confirm they’re best buddies up to date. Must be nice seeing each other again after years of no contact. “I knew for the longest time where you came from, I was good friends with them. Jeff and Lucille. Good people… I even went to their second eldest’s baptism.”
This just proves how they’re going to be seeing each other no matter what, because these two families went through thick and thin together, from the sound of it. He shifts so that he now hugs her fully, squeezing her just like a dad does. It's comforting, as it always is. “Now, plaster that cheeky grin of yours on your lips and go pick something to wear. We'll meet you downstairs, okay?”
Quinn nods, showing the smile she's so known for, the smile she now knows she inherited from her biological mother, warm and sincere, then sighs once she's alone in her room again, her eyes moving towards the huge pile of clothes.
When the door rings, signaling their arrival, all three of them are ready and prepped, the house clean, the huge dinner table by the living room set, dinner ready. Dressed in a simple cream summer dress that matches perfectly with her skin tone, Quinn is the one who goes to open the door after she dried her sweaty palms over her dress, finding all of them standing behind it with huge grins spread across their faces, part of her family. She can't see the girl that was there last time, though, Kayo.
“Welcome!” She smiles despite how much nervousness churns her stomach, as she steps aside to let them all in, the whole Tracy procession. They're all dressed to the nines in fancy shirts and shiny shoes, yet they look so natural and move so freely in them, like it's second nature for them. Their eyes never leave her face for one moment the whole time she guides them to the living room, where her parents are, making everyone sit down on the couches first for refreshments.
"O-ho, Jeff, my dude! How long... how are you doing, my friend?" Charlie is the first to greet the head of the Tracy family, who smiles and goes in for a strong hug, complete with pats on the back that resonate throughout the living room. They act just like old friends, which apparently they are, given the smiles and warm welcome. Who would have thought that her parents had always known the person responsible for her lineage? She was certainly shocked when she found out… through Jeff, nonetheless.
"Ah, you know, work... I’ve been very busy these years, there’s been a lot to do." Jeff replies, making the fact that he is a world-renowned astronaut, the first to have landed on Mars (yes, she did her research), seem like a simple job like many others. The humbleness... "Listen, I think your daughter has already told you this, but I am so sorry to have cut off contact with you and Bentley. I wanted to keep it going, but…” Their daughter. He luckily didn't say anything like ‘my sons’ half-sibling’ or ‘Lucille's child’, no… she's still Charlie and Bentley Prescott's daughter. She could start crying right now.
"No, no, stop it! We’re the ones who have to apologize... if we’d known about Lucille, we would’ve reached out sooner." Bentley intercepts the conversation between grown-ups, while Quinn sits with the Tracy brothers on another couch next to them, throwing an ear to the conversation every now and then. "Truly, our condolences... we have never imagined…”
"No, it’s not a problem, don’t get upset about it all. In fact, I thank you... she too would have liked to see you again." Jeff answers, not hiding the sadness painted on his face in remembering her, the woman who started it all, her... biological mother. This time, her parents also share the same expression. "But you know how she was... always working behind the scenes, huh? Always hiding somewhere." Luckily laughter comes back as Jeff mocks his wife harmlessly.
"Come on, don’t you leave your poor gal a bit of peace even in heaven? Always commenting..." This time, the matriarch and head of the family years before Jeff returned, Sally Tracy, joins in the conversation as well, approaching them as she sits next to her son, her tone as playful as always. Always commenting... always causing a smile after another. Just what they needed. This topic has always been so hard for them, but now it seems like it could change, like they could speak about Lucille without that pressing dread. It's what she would've wanted.
"Mrs Tracy! It’s a pleasure to see you again, you’re always so lively! Truly, you look in very good shape." Bentley gets up to greet Jeff’s mother warmly, with a double kiss on the cheeks and a warm hug, naturally following through with her string of praises, to which Sally smiles, conversing with her parents about a bit of everything, the time that had passed, children and grandchildren, all the such.
It’s so strange to see all of them having such a warm and friendly conversation, and when Quinn turns to the boys, she sees the same surprise painted on their faces. Their father had said that he and her parents were close friends, but they did not think they’d be to this point. The way they sit together, chatting and joking with each other... they can swear they see their father age back by a few years, the years lost up in space recovered, that flicker of life returning to his eyes with just a little of the right company.
“You really had the best idea, to host this dinner here at your place.” Scott is the one who speaks, turning to face her with a dimpled smile, all the wariness he reserved in her regards long gone now. “I've never seen dad so active in a long time.”
As Quinn smiles a shy smile, Virgil hums in agreement with a vigorous nod. “Indeed… he looks like he might recover overnight now.” Quinn hums, not quite understanding the whole dynamic behind his… disappearance. She knows from the internet that he just recently returned after a long time in space, some sort of accident with some sort of ship, but she doesn't know much more than that. Virgil senses this, ever the empathetic person, and decides to add a few words to explain further. “Ever since he came back from space, he slowly fell back into his usual routine, taking over International Rescue, taking care of business… but the time up in space really messed him up, and he's been trying to recover slowly from the complications his body overwent. It’s been a hard time for him, up there…”
“I see. It must've been really challenging… not that I understand.” One thing she notices is that she always manages to bring a smile on all their faces. Those smiles are a bit fond, a bit playful… a bit nostalgic.
“Maybe you understand a little, because you had the brilliant idea in taking this initiative. For all of us.” Scott adds, feeling closer to her, to the way she speaks, to her sharp wit… to the way she's just like mom. Their half-sister… united by blood, their mom's only female child.
“Ah, no biggie… I just thought about your dad's words, you know? He did say he and my parents were close friends, so I figured this would be better than one of those shabby restaurants downtown.” She replies with a shrug, acting as humble as ever. She might look like mom, and even act a little like her, but her wit is in a league of its own.
“Hey, shabby they are, but have you ever tried their fish sandwich? I can't think of a better sandwich, and I've been to many places and tried lots of them!” Gordon chimes in, matching her liveliness with his own, and she suddenly feels a lot… lighter. She never imagined her conversation with them would go this way; she just found out she's got siblings from her biological mother's side, and thought she had little to nothing in common with them. And yet… the conversation just flows freely, topics shifting and changing, but those warm and familiar smiles never leave their faces.
And this dinner proves to be quite the success. They all get along perfectly, and the atmosphere is quiet and jovial, the guys even getting confident enough with her, while always remaining civil and polite. All the doubts that she had fly out of the window the longer she's in their company, finding out that... it’s not bad. That she almost wants to hang out with them a third time.
"I heard you like to program," John asks her at some point at the end of the evening, getting together after a long and very good dinner. Her parents are outside with Jeff and Grandma Tracy enjoying some fresh air while they stay inside, sitting on the sofas while chatting, countless cans of sodas and bags of chips as an after-dinner keeping them company in this quiet chat. It is strange that he starts the conversation on his own initiative, as he has been almost all the time on the sidelines observing and keeping to himself. "Have you already created any programs of your own?"
She's not surprised by his question, expecting someone would ask her about her studies at some point during the evening; she just expected Jeff or Sally to ask her, though. But she sees that glimmer of joy in his eyes, as if he's found someone he can finally converse about such things with, someone who understands without getting bored over all the tech talk, so she nods with a sincere smile. “Yeah, I do have one. Nothing much though, just an AI assistant browsing through the internet for me and keeping track of my deadlines.”
“Oh, really? Can I have a look into it?” He immediately asks her, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, earning a weird look from his brothers and an almost melancholic smile from the eldest, Scott. It looks like she truly changed them for the better too, not just Jeff… John hasn't been this open and sociable in years, probably ever since their mom passed. It might also be the fact that she can start being considered as family in their book; they're over this shocking event, finally accepting it and accepting her, and this implies a fraternal treatment, if she allows it. They could start treating her as their sister without any issues… sure, half-sister, but still. Family is still family. “Well, if you want to show me, of course…”
“Of course, no probby! But I've got to give you a heads up… its language is a little… colorful.” She quickly adds with a lopsided smile, feeling slightly embarrassed. Her Pot is certainly not your typical AI, all formal and perfect; just for fun and to make it different, she's added in its program quite the colorful vocabulary and slang. From there on, Pot started sounding like it has a conscience of its own, sometimes deciding not to help her, getting offended at some snarky remarks of hers, even judging her when she asks its opinion on some outfits. It acts like there's another person behind the program, and she's gotten used to it, but presenting it to someone like the Tracy's, with a much more advanced technology and freakin’ ships?
“Oh, colorful language, you say? Bring it on! I bet it'll be really… refreshing.” John smirks, still eager to see a program coded to be so blunt, wanting to know just how much it differs from EOS, his program. Quinn still hesitates for a moment, but then she shrugs, grabbing her phone and turning it on, tapping a couple times on its screen.
“Potty! There's someone here who'd like to meet you! You better be nice!” She says into the phone, calling her Pot to life. It doesn't take long for the hologram of a… potato to appear, having the cutest little stylized face on and even a little yellow bow on the side. She even codes accessories for it; it shows that she’s thoughtful.
“Yeah? Wassup?” A slightly robotic but almost true to life voice chimes in from this cute potato, and Quinn turns the phone for John to interact freely with her program, still keeping a slight smirk on her lips.
John's reaction is priceless to say the least, eyes wide in surprise and delight, even leaning slightly forward, interested in seeing an AI so faceted and chill. He smirks too, then calmly crosses his arms on his chest, now looking plain amused. “Would you look at that… wassup.” The slang exits as something alien from John's lips, but at least he's matching the approach with no problems.
“Yo, who are you? Ron Weasley wannabe?” Pot asks, making Quinn instantly mortified on her program's behalf, making her cover her face with a hand as her face reddens like a tomato. To her defense, she did warn them beforehand. John doesn't seem to be fazed though, just smirking and not budging, while his brothers, the two youngest especially, all erupt in a booming laughter, bordering on the hysterical and tummy-aching; Gordon even instructs the youngest to write that down, prompting Alan to bring his phone out and begin typing furiously on it, all with a hearty laugh still. Such a reaction immediately calms her worries down, seeing they didn't get offended from Pot's… outburst. Well, she can drop the punishment consisting of feeding Pot old updates, then. “That funny?” Ha! Even Pot seems surprised.
“Oh, that was nice, yeah. But you gotta try better… it's nothing I haven't already heard from my brothers before, and I've got four of them. I like your approach though, brotato.” It seems like everyone has that mischievous streak in them, even if the way they’re dressed would cost much more than a penthouse alone. Some are funnier than others, but… now she knows she got her natural charm from her biological mother’s side.
“Ha! You're a funny one.” It’s rare for Pot to be so interested and family-friendly with someone… it is somehow friendly with Laurie whenever they chat, but it’s more of a respectful politeness; here, it truly seems like Pot is intrigued and interested, finding its snark matched. “I’ll skip you when I conquer the world.”
John’s smirk turns into a full blown smile at that, something sniding glimmering behind his eyes. “What an honor. Though… it’s not really new. I have an experience or two about programs trying to conquer the world, I already went through that once.”
“Oh, really?” Quinn can’t help but butt in the conversation, suddenly curious about the way John answered in response to Pot being Pot; her little chime-in earned a string of laments from her Pot and a small smile from John, who simply nods and fishes something out of his pocket.
“That’s a story for another day.” What he fishes out and holds in his hands is a… button of sorts, compact, sleek, and simple enough. “But that’s why I think your program would get along with EOS.” EOS? Is that… his program? A program he built from scratch, just like she did with Pot? And it’s in that black button of sorts? Compact and efficient, huh? Well, now she’s definitely more interested in the dudes who partly share their blood with hers.
That little button chimes to life once it’s mentioned, with a halo of led lights shining around the camera nested in the middle, green lights and a female voice, rather young from the sound of it. And from the sound of it, the program’s got sass. “I thought we weren’t supposed to speak about that anymore. Maybe you’re still thinking about world domination, John? If that’s the case…” Oh, this EOS is not a waitress, but she’s serving!
This prompts Quinn to move so that she now sits beside John without even realizing it, finding herself very interested in this EOS she’s hearing; the others realize, and Scott even gives his spot up to her without a word, smiling as he lets her sit beside his younger brother. Normally, a little harmless mocking would be allowed in situations like these, but that’s their half-sister, and it makes them happy to see her open up so much and be able to discover more about her interests. About… mom’s interests, in a way. They know it won’t be the same, that Quinn is a whole another person with her own life and interests… but even the way her eyes gleam as she shares some programs and codes with John looks so much like mom.
“Oh yeah, she’d get along very well with my Pot!” Quinn hums amusedly, shifting her phone so that the two programs can chat. “Hey Potty, meet EOS! Maybe you can scan your codes and get along.” Just like she’s getting along with the brothers? The parallels are not lost on her, but she finds she doesn’t mind. Not yet, at least.
“Pot?” EOS is the first to speak, her led lights now flashing a confused orange, the slightly childish tone taking on a doubtful edge. “Why are you called after a ceramic piece usually used to hold plants?”
Pot’s little programmed bow falls right off at that question, the potato sketch taking on a set of big eyes; it seems like she programmed her little assistant so that its ‘physical’ form changes in different circumstances, much like EOS does with her light halo. “Girl, what you on about? My full name’s Potatoer.”
It must’ve been the slang, or the fact that it called her ‘girl’, or the name in itself, but after that revelation delivered in such a… curious way, EOS’ lights shut right off, no more reaction from the camera lens or those lights, for the matter. Quinn raises an eyebrow, wondering what could be going on, but John seems to know by the way he smirks down at the camera, and her Pottie seems to know as well by the way it changes form.
“Girl - did she just hang up on me?” Pot protests, making Quinn understand and explode in a giggle fit, very amused by the way EOS just thought to dip, not even bothering with the conversation further. Oh, she’s a gem indeed. Too sassy for a program… and here she thought her Pot was bad in that matter. “I’m so going to infect her with a virus.”
“Oh, it’s best you don’t do that.” John chuckles, taking the threat very lightly. “I’ll have to be the one unpacking your little gift if you do, and that’ll be wasted resources and codes.” Listening to him implicitly boast his smart brain with a smirk, she can’t help but wonder just how similar they are, even if only in the interests. That sarcasm… it’s a family trait, isn’t it?
This setting feels familiar, in some way. It’s familiar, and it’s warm, and it’s homely, for all of them. It’s not just the fact that she looks and acts so much like mum… she brings a sense of peace, some sort of continuation to what has been lost so many years ago. She brings closure. And she, for her part, is completely in her own element, happy with being the center of attention and being surrounded by the people she’s been closest with aside from her parents; the doubts are still there, and a small part at the back of her brain still wonders if she’s doing the right thing, but right now? She soaks in the attention, the stories, the funny moments, letting herself be included in this family she didn’t know she had until recently.
None of them notice their parents moving back inside the house, stopping by the door as they take the scene in without making themselves noticeable right away; Quinn sitting right in the middle of the couch, surrounded and faced with her half-brothers as they share laughs, stories, interests, advice, all of the sort. Charlie looks toward Jeff, sharing the knowing grin of someone who knows it’s going well. Leaning on his trusted cane, Jeff moves a hand so that he’s patting Charlie vigorously on the shoulder, sharing the feeling of relief. She’s fitting in well, and the others are accepting her right away. It could be the best thing that ever happened to the family… if she allows it. Jeff smirks, his gaze lost in Quinn for a moment; Lucille’s always been the one calling the shots, wasn’t she? Ah… that stubborn woman never ceases to amaze him, in whatever way she manifests herself.
The moment shifts when Grandma Tracy steps forward, a big smile painted on her face. “We leave you alone for a few minutes, and you’re already plotting something with those smart brains of yours?”
The dinner ends in the best way all of them could’ve ever imagined; in laughter, happiness, and the lack of that oppressing, heavy feeling hanging over everyone’s shoulders. Long after they left for the night and the house has been tidied and locked up for the night ahead, Quinn finds herself in her huge and fluffy bed, laying on her back as she stares up at the ceiling. She looks up at that ceiling, and she thinks deeply about everything that happened during this dinner.
It was surprisingly amazing, better than she ever imagined; all she expected was some awkward dinner with people she was meant to consider family friends and nothing more, but instead she got pure, wholesome moments, those five brothers glued to her as if she’s a beacon in a sea of darkness. Well, maybe she is to them, but there’s not to lie that she doesn’t mind that one bit, not when everyone is so kind and good and… ack, this is harder than she thought.
Sighing, she chooses to abandon the idea of a sleep that’ll never come, shifting so that she now lays to the side and has easy access to her phone charging on the nightstand; with it, she decides to make a late-night intervention call. Yeah, well, it’s kinda three in the morning and her bestie is asleep, but an emergency intervention is an emergency intervention nonetheless; and boy does she have a lot to tell her!