The Secret Birthday Party Job

Day 3-4 of 5: Eliot Promises to Never Volunteer Himself to Cook Ever Again

Day 3 / 7:46 p.m. 

Thanks to Eliot's connections, it didn't take him long to plan out where he would hide all of the food he was going to cook for Parker's party. Toby Heath (the man who taught Eliot how to cook in the first place) promised him a favor after the team had helped him get his culinary school back, so he figured that now would be the best time to use the favor. When would be a better time? 

Eliot had spent his first few hours here making fish fingers and custard. He didn't understand why Hardison was bound determined for him to make them. Said something about it was a reference and that Parker would understand it. Doctor Who reference Sophie had told him. He decided Sophie knew what she was talking about and just whipped it up real quick before he even started doing the cupcakes and cookies that Sophie and Hardison had helped him come up with. 

His job was to make everything and let it cool, then call in Hardison and Sophie to decorate them ("I don't watch Doctor Who for dammit, how am I supposed to know what the hell a Dalek is!?"), but thankfully that would leave him more time to subtly figure out what Parker would want for a birthday dinner. 

By the time everything was cooled down and ready to be decorated, and by the time Sophie and Hardison got the the school ("How can you get lost? You've been here before, Hardison!") it was already going on 11 o'clock at night. Letting them in through the back parking structure, he had taken them both by surprise.

 "Dang dude, how much did you make?" Hardison asked scanning the counter tops that were full of cupcakes and cookie alike. From what Hardison could see, there were strawberry, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookies. "I know we always see Parker eating all the time, but do you actually think she could eat all of this in one night?"

"She can save them for leftovers if she wants." Eliot shrugs. When he cooks, he goes all out.

"Everything smells so good!" Sophie complements patting Eliot on the back. 

Eliot nods his head, giving a silents thanks. "Go ahead and do your thing, I don't know anything about cyberangels and daleks." Eliot says.

"Okay, for one it's crybermen and weeping angels, get it right." Hardison says offended. 

"Whatever, Hardison."

"No fighting here!" Sophie says, sounding almost annoyed as she grabs the bags that Hardison had carried in and placing cookie decorations and frosting on the table.

"Well, when you guys do that, I'm going to figure out what to cook for the main meal." Eliot says excusing himself.

Day 4 / 1:23 a.m. 

After taking in a lot of consideration of all the things he's made that Parker has tried, Eliot knows exactly what he should make. Although he had only made it once, he felt Chicken Parmesan was the way to go. All he knew is that he made a lot at one point, left it in the fridge, and within the next couple of days, it had disappeared. At first, he assumed it was Hardison, but after seeing his look of utter shock, and him scolding him for not telling him he made it in the first place, he realized it had to be Parker. ("How did you even find the hiding spot I use for my food, Parker?!" "I'm a world class thief, Eliot, I'm kinda good at the stuff.") 

Walking into the work station he had left Hardison and Sophie, one of the first things he sees is the blue phone booths on all of the cupcakes, completely made of frosting. 

"Before you even confuse it, the things on the cupcakes are called the tardis." Hardison says pointing his finger at them. 

Going past them, towards the cookies, he saw that the sugar cookies were cut out in different shapes and were decorated. 

"You guy's got all of these done is less than five hours?" Eliot asked slightly shocked.

"Yes. These one are the daleks, that's why some are red, yellow and blue. These ones over here are the weeping angels, that's why they're grey. And then these ones are the cybermen heads, also grey." Sophie explains to him, pointing each one out. She looked proud of herself, and Eliot couldn't help but smile at them. 

"I have to admit, they look great." He tells them, looking over everything. 

"We know, we're awesome. We've been trying to get that point across for years." Hardison spoke, rubbing his eyes.

"We better put the bookies in the back fridge so they don't go bad, and the cupcakes can be put in the display case so they don't get in the way." Eliot motions to Hardison to start with the cupcakes, while he takes the trays that had the cookies on them. 

After they had put everything away, clearing the tables for Eliot to actually get started on the Chicken Parmesan, he had told Sophie and Hardison to go get some rest.

"Aren't you going to rest?" Sophie had asked Eliot yawning, picking her purse of the table.

"I only sleep 90 minutes a night Soph."He reminds her. (He had been calling her Soph for a while now since he had gotten so comfortable around these people that he called his family.)

"How could we forget." Sophie chuckled. "You sure you don't need anymore help?" She asks one last time.

"No, I'll be fine. Go get some rest." He reassures her for what seemed like the third time that night. 

"You don't have to tell me twice." Hardison says, picking up all the bags they had brought. 

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow." Sophie says, give him a hug (which still sometimes caught Eliot off guard occasionally.) and left for the parking garage that Hardison had parked Lucille 2.0. 

Eliot lets out a quick sigh before taking out all the ingredients he would need. 

It was then, Eliot promised himself her would never volunteer to make food ever again. But he knew if he was being honest with himself, he would do this for any of them. That's what a family is supposed to do. 

He knew it would all be worth it after seeing Parker's face the day of. 

With that final thought, he got back to work.