Double trouble? That's just double dating in the Legacy.
Double dating in the Legacy, a Legacy Prequel Story. If you have not read through Alliance, stop reading now. Go enjoy the books first!
This story takes place a few months after Seamus' is pulled from the basement, and with a special surprise! We get an Eileen POV. (As always, this is a WIP, not fully edited, but shared for your enjoyment!)
Enjoy!
“We should invite them bowling,” Seamus said.
“Who?”
“Andrew and Maureen.”
Eileen Gale curled her lip and looked up from her spot on the floor, the half dismantled handgun resting between her thighs. “And you should help me clean the weapons from the last mission.
He held up his gloved hands from his spot at the table and made a sad attempt to wiggle his fingers. “Sorry,” he said. “I have strict instructions from my doctor to take it easy.”
Her lips twitched and she fought her smile. “I’m your doctor, and I’m changing the order. If you think you can bowl, I don’t see why you can’t be working on small movement dexterity.”
“I never said I was going to bowl. I said we should invite them bowling. Besides, you can set up one of the cute dinosaur guides for me and I can just push the ball down the lane.”
Elieen tossed the rag she’d been using and leaned back against the couch, the smile failing to stay off her face. “Would you want me to get you the kids meal too? Cut up your nuggies into tiny pieces?”
“So they’re harder to pick up?” Seamus said with a laugh. “You just want to torture me, too.”
Eileen’s stomach jolted at the words, but she kept the smile on her face and shook her head, not wanting to dampen his mood. It’d been three months since Maureen had saved him, and although there was a vast improvement from every single bone in each finger being broken, he still had a ways to go before he could be cleared to return to the field. The recovery of his hands had been slower than anticipated, and she couldn’t bring herself to tell him just yet that the last round of testing did not look promising. “If I wanted to torture you, I wouldn’t waste it in the bowling alley. We have a bedroom for that.”
A glint of desire lit his eyes, and he launched himself from the chair. Eileen laughed and scrambled to her feet, just barely getting out of his reach. “I would like to take you up on that offer!” he called as she raced out of the living room. She rounded through the kitchen, into the entryway and slammed right into his solid chest, bouncing back with laughter. He didn’t hesitate, hands cupping her face, the heat in his gaze closing the distance between them.
She kissed him, long and deep. Fingers twined in her hair, and she slid her hands beneath his shit, tracing decades of scars. He broke the kiss, trailing his tongue down her chin to her neck, and she dropped her head back, pulling him back toward the counter. He wrapped his hands around her waist and picked her up, her ass finding purchase on the counter top, knees spreading, inviting him in closer.
“I could torture you out here, too,” she breathed, his mouth moving to her collarbone and she sucked in a breath. “But I had something different in mind.”
He smiled against her skin and she glanced down, his fingers gripping the top of her jeans. Heat raced to her core, her legs begging to wrap around him and pull him in. He tugged the waistband, and she reached down to undo the button, but he put his hand on hers.
“What?” she breathed, every inch of her now begging to be undressed so his lips could keep moving over her.
The glint in his eyes shifted from desire to amusement and he let go, taking a step back. Cold seeped between them, a yearning for him driving her to reach for him. But stepped out of reach, his smile infectious. “Who’s torturing who now?”
Eileen opened her mouth to respond, thinking of the many ways he would pay for this, but the door to the residence opened. She raised an eyebrow at him and hopped off the counter, the playful mood evaporating. “Were you asking me if we should invite them bowling, or were you telling me you invited them bowling?” She was definitely torturing him later.
“I was seeing if you would be opposed to the option,” Seamus offered. “We haven’t hung out with Andrew in ages.”
“Because he’s got a permanent attachment,” she said as Andrew stepped into the entryway, Maureen, as she predicted, by his side. The urge to groan was overwhelming and Eileen turned away, grabbing a glass from the dish rack and filling it at the sink. It wasn’ t that she didn’t like Maureen. The girl had certainly earned her respect when she’d saved Seamus, even more so when she sat in the infirmary every day until Seamus came out of the coma. But they had nothing in common. Was she a good asset? Sure, and definitely a different beast than the girl she met in the shabby apartment four years ago. Would she trust Maureen with her life? Also yes. But Eileen didn’t have the bandwidth or even the slightest urge to rebuild their team dynamic. Her focus had been on Seamus’ recovery.
Eileen took a long gulp of the water as they greeted behind her, and braced herself for the inevitable double date Seamus had orchestrated. Footsteps too heavy to be Seamus approached and she put the cup back on the rack, turning to face Andrew. Eileen’s gaze automatically went to his sides, but Maureen was still in the entryway, Seamus leaning against the doorframe as they chatted.
“He didn’t tell you, did he?” Andrew asked.
“That I’m being forced by my boyfriend and his best friend on a double date to go bowling? Of course he did.”
“He decided on bowling,” Andrew said, innocently. “That’s—“
“I’m not going bowling,” Eileen said, rolling her eyes.
“How about roller skating?” he countered
Eileen curled her lip. If they were going to make her go out, then the least interaction she had to have with the intruder the better. “We can go to a movie.”
“And miss the opportunity of you staring daggers at Maureen the entire night?” Andrew laughed.
“We can go to the pool hall,” Maureen offered. Eileen looked over at her, propped against the wall, arms crossed. Everything about her posture screamed she didn’t want to be there either, but her eyes held a cool determination, as if the suggestion would impress Eileen. The pool hall was Eileen's domain. It was where she went to blow off steam, or think through solutions to the impossible problems Senior threw at her. The fact Maureen had suggested it meant Andrew couldn't keep his big mouth shut.
“Moe…” Andrew said softly.
But the girl didn't take her eyes off Eileen, a hint of a challenge coming into the gaze. Eileen didn't understand why–there was nothing to challenge. Eileen had no interest in engaging beyond the required duties. She glanced at Seamus standing beside her in the doorway, an eagerness in his eyes as he mouthed please. She always had a hard time saying no to him, and he deserved to have some fun. If it meant suffering through a double date with the world's most unlikeable girl, then so be it. "The pool hall sounds great."
Eileen expected it to be busy, and she wasn’t disappointed. The usual crews were crowded around the pool tables, each group distinctly different from the next. The pool hall was a strange melting pot. All walks of life ended up here. It was one of the reasons she found the place so appealing. She could blend in as needed, hold clandestine meetings, or just disappear for the night.
The pool hall rose two stories high, a long bar anchoring the back wall. Pool tables dominated the ground floor, ringed by players, spectators, and those lingering in wait at the high tables along the perimeter. The upper level formed an open balcony overlooking the room, its railing lined with tables where patrons watched the games below. Dartboards were spaced along the walls, offering a quieter diversion above the steady crack of breaking balls.
They passed a group of college co-eds several rounds into their night. A blonde girl with chin length hair and blue eyes caught Eileen's gaze and gave the tiniest of nods. Eileen lifted her lips in response but ignored her otherwise. She had paid the blonde handsomely for information on several professors at Fordham, the stockpile of blackmail growing for future use.
“Looks like the tables are taken,” Seamus said. “Want to grab some drinks and meet upstairs?”
“Great idea,” Andrew said before Eileen could speak, and instead of grabbing Maureen’s arm, he looped into Eileen's and tugged her toward the bar. “We’ll get the drinks.”
“Uh, excuse me,” Eileen said, untangling her arm out and turning, but Seamus had already escorted Maureen toward the stairs and out of view. She glared back at Andrew. “I thought we were double dating, not swapping partners. No offense, Drew, but you’re not my type.”
“Shut up,” he said with a laugh and tugged her arm, leading them to the bar. He ordered their drinks, three beers and a club soda. She waited beside him wondering what he and Seamus could possibly be cooking up. But he remained silent as they waited for their drinks. She scanned the room, clocking possible threats for the evening. There weren't many. Most were college kids. A group of co-workers, who looked like they could work in an office setting, took up three pool tables. A group of middle-aged men, howled loudly to her right beside a table of two young couples in their early twenties, probably on one of their first dates based on the obscene touching and flirting occurring.
Andrew bumped her elbow and passed her a beer and club soda. "Thanks."
"Any trouble?" he asked, heading toward the stairs. Elieen eyed the middle-aged men again, the way they glanced lewdly toward the young women sent a warning through her spine.
"Maybe," she said, but didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t that Andrew wouldn’t believe her, but the way they walked through the world was just different. As a woman, even a deadly woman, what she clocked as a threat would always be more cautious than him.
"What is this about tonight?" she asked. They'd reached the second floor and headed toward the table Seamus had staked out, claiming the adjacent dart board. Maureen was already dividing up the darts. "You and Seamus can go out whenever you want."
"We thought it would be a good idea for you and Maureen to get to know each other outside of the Institute."
Eileen scoffed. "I don't need to get to know her."
"Eileen–"
She turned on him. "What?"
“Why are you so against having her on the team?”
“I’m not,” she said automatically, but her gut gave a small start to the question. The last three months had been the hardest Eileen had ever had in the Legacy, and there had been some truly shitty times between recoveries and losses. But through all of those, the team had always been a space she could just be herself. No lying, no faking. If she was pissed she could be pissed. She could be sad. But with the new addition, Eileen couldn’t be herself. Herself would have cursed Maureen out and demanded she be removed from the team. However, Senior insisted that Maureen be welcome with open arms, so the only thing Eileen could do was not engage. It was exhausting.
Andrew raised his eyebrows calling her bullshit and she conceded without a fight. “Nothing has been the same since we pulled her out of that apartment four years ago. Everytime I turn around someone is in danger because of her. Seamus–"
"She saved him."
"Because she put him in danger!"
"Do you know that?" he asked. "Or are you assuming? I get that you're frustrated not having all the information. But this has always been the job and–"
"She didn’t earn her place like everyone else," Eileen cut in, anger slipping into her chest as the truth slid from her lips. “I don’t know her skills, her weaknesses—nothing. Senior just dropped her into the team and told me to trust him. All I know is Senior thinks she walks on water and you and Seamus seem to think she can do no wrong.”
“We don’t think that,” Andrew said, voice full of disbelief. "Besides, how could you possibly know what she’s capable of if you don’t get to know her?”
“And what if I don’t want to get to know her?” Andrew raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Don’t look at me like that. Do you know how infuriating it is to be the team lead and know absolutely nothing about one of the members, and every time you ask you are told to ‘just trust me'? She disappears for days, spends countless hours either with Senior or Charlie. It feels like I've been thrust into a never ending test of loyalty and have been on high alert since she arrived back with Seamus."
"So you're pissed."
"Yeah, I'm pissed."
“Are you pissed at her for being on the team, or are you pissed at Senior for not giving either of you a choice of the circumstances, and are taking it out on Maureen because you're afraid to say anything to Senior?”
Elieen snapped her mouth shut, irritation flooding her body. Why couldn't he just let her be mad? Of course she was pissed at Seniors but it wasn't like she could waltz up to his office and demand answers. Had it been anyone else, she wouldn't have stonewalled them so hard, or would have brought the concerns up to Senior. But it was Maureen, Senior's pet project. The incompetent girl who got Andrew shot; the annoying girl who needed protection for a mission she was never qualified for; the reason Seamus may be among the breathing, albeit catastrophically injured, when in an alternate reality, if Eileen had said yes to Senior, Seamus would have never been in that position to begin with. Guilt pushed aside her irritation.
“You've disliked her since day one. But she's not that girl anymore. Give her a chance, Eileen. Because what I can tell you is she never wanted this, and she’s doing her best to make it work. But if you keep pushing her away, you're not only going to disappoint Senior–you're going to fracture this team.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond, heading through the crowds to corner Seamus had staked out and leaving her to stew over his words as she followed. What did he mean disappoint Senior and fracture the team? Was he threatening her over this outsider? Or had she really been that shitty of a leader since Maureen showed up?
The feeling of the unfinished conversation hung over her. Andrew was one of her best friends. They grew up together, their bond tighter than most siblings–par for the course in Legacy heirs. If they didn't end up married to a team mate, there was an understanding on the team that there were no romantic inclinations, just an unbreakable bond that they take to the grave. If Andrew was calling her out, it was because she needed to be. She reached the table, passing the soda over to Seamus, his smile faltering at her gaze.
"So, how do you normally play?" Maureen asked, taking a sip of her beer.
How did they play? That was all Eileen needed to know about how this outing was going to go, and she let her annoyance dance across her face. Teaching Maureen to play darts was about as high on her list as teaching her open heart surgery. "Have you played darts before?"
"Is it like throwing a knife?" Maureen asked.
"Not really," Andrew said, moving behind her. He placed his beer on the table and wrapped his arms around Maureen's waist. She leaned back, posture relaxing. "But you'll pick it up."
Eileen could feel the vomit wanting to come up and took another swig of the beer. "Normally we play Cricket or 301."
"But perhaps we start with Around the Clock," Seamus offered. "Until you get the hang of it."
"What are we seven?" Elieen spat. "Besides, if she throws darts the way she throws knives someone will probably end up losing an eye."
"Then it's a good thing we have the best medic in the Legacy with us tonight," Andrew said. "Around the Clock it is."
Eileen rolled her eyes and moved to the railing overlooking the crowd, thinking of all the ways she would ensure Andrew and Seamus would never pull this shit again. Maybe she would pull some strings and have them all drug tested in the morning. She ran scenarios through her mind, each more vicious than the last, as Seamus and Andrew walked Maureen through the basics. The middle-aged men near the bar whooped with laughter, and Eileen's gaze drifted toward them. Of the four, only the dirty-blond seemed unable to keep his gaze off the girls at the table next to them while two of the others needled the third who completely missed the cue ball.
They were going to be a problem, or maybe she was looking for a problem. Either way, she put a beer on the table, turning as Seamus called her name. A smile lit his face and he held out a set of darts, and her heart thumped. Whatever ulterior motive he and Andrew had, it was worth it to see him in good spirits. "My turn?" she asked.
"Does it count as a turn when you don't even look at the board?"
She shrugged and accepted the darts, moving to the line. Her feet settled into the natural stance, her weight shifting as her fingers wrapped around the first dart. She looked over at Maureen, whose full attention was on her. "Want to make a wager?" Eileen asked.
"Sure," Maureen said. "If I win, you have to tell me why you hate me."
Eileen scoffed. "I'll do that for free. Let's make it interesting. When I win, you're on bedpan duty in the infirmary for a month." She winked and threw, the darts leaving her hand in quick succession, gaze never leaving Maureen.
Maureen glanced at the board, a slow smile lifting her lips. "And when I win, you will start training me like I'm actually part of this team."
Eileen finally looked at the board and her heart skipped a beat. There was only one other mark on the chalk board. Maureen: 3. Eileen whipped around to Seamus and Andrew sitting at the table, drinks in hand, not playing with them.
Andrew said nothing, a smug look on his face she couldn't wait to wipe off. Seamus just shrugged. Dirty traitors. Eileen retrieved her darts with a quick snap, unsure if she was angry at them for setting her up, or herself for letting herself be.
"I do treat you like part of this team," Eileen said, marking her number on the chalk board.
"You haven't said more than 20 words to me since I joined," Maureen countered. She took her spot, eyeing the board, and taking a moment before throwing and landing each in order: 4. 5. 6.
"That's an exaggeration," Eileen countered.
Maureen shook her head and began holding up fingers as she spoke. “Wrong. Do it again. You’re going to get yourself killed. You’re going to get us all killed. Stop. Just go home. No. That’s seven phrases, seventeen words total.”
“Not true,” Eileen said, taking her spot at the line. “I also said I wouldn’t let you die on my watch.” Eileen threw the darts, landing them with ease.
“That was before I was inducted into the Legacy,” Maureen countered.
Eileen opened her mouth to argue, and then closed it in defeat as Andrew and Seamus gave her an 'I-told-you-so' look from the table. Anger stirred in her chest, replaced immediately by shame. Maureen was probably right. The less time Eileen had to spend interacting with her, the less likely she was going to get removed from team lead.
They fell into silence as they took turns.
Maureen wasn't as good as Eileen, but each time Maureen scored, Eileen's anger rose another notch. When Maureen tied it–20-20–she returned to the table like it meant something. This was stupid. A dart game was not going to change Eileen's mind, and training in the morning was going to remind everyone why she was the team lead and not them.
Andrew gave Maureen a high five, her face glowing with pride.
Eileen collected a single dart from Seamus' out stretched hand. "Valiant effort, but you'll still be changing bedpans." She moved to the line, fingers tingling with victory as she raised the dart, positioning for the bull to finish it. It slid from between her fingers as a commotion broke out to their right. She turned, dart forgotten, her gaze landing on the middle-aged men from downstairs.
They were even more intoxicated, the dirty-blond man holding up one of his friends for support as the others slammed drinks down on the table. The dirty-blond man caught sight of Eileen and grinned. Andrew was by her side before she could get a word out. It would have been Seamus, but Eileen knew his hands were nowhere ready for a fight.
They'd done this dance a thousand times. Eileen could handle it, but Andrew's mere presence would de-escalate the situation faster and cleaner than she would, and everyone could get back on with their night. The dirty-blond man's attention averted and Eileen turned to the dart board to see her victory, not giving another second to the situation. But the dart hadn't landed in the bullseye. She took a few steps closer to inspect where it had landed, it’s steel tip wedged against the metal wire of the twenty, just outside the outer bull ring. Fuck. Couldn't this night just be over yet?
The distinctive sound of flesh on flesh hits pulled Eileen's attention back to Andrew. His arms were wrapped around Maureen's waist as he pulled her behind him, the dirty-blond looking angry with a busted lip. It took only a second for his buddies to realize what had happened and they charged.
If they had been Underworlders, this could have been chaos. But they were just men, so it took less than fifteen seconds for Eileen and Andrew to render them unconscious without drawing an eye.
"What happened?" Eileen asked, stepping back and looking at the pile of trash they'd laid out.
"They couldn't keep their eyes to themselves," Maureen said.
Eileen looked back and did a double take. Blood poured from her nose. The medic in her took over and she stepped forward, grabbing a wad of napkins off the table and pushing them against her face. Then her fingers went immediately to check the freshly healed digits. Maureen opened and closed her hand a few times. No sign of a re-break.
Once Eileen was satisfied, Maureen continued, nodding toward the railing. "I've been watching them all night." Eileen raised her eyebrows in admiration. She didn't think anyone else was keeping an eye on them. "He made a lewd gesture toward you. I said 'keep your perverted eyes to yourself before I pluck them out with this dart and make you eat 'em'. He didn't take the advice so I hit him. He hit me back and Drew pulled me off before I could do anything else,” she finished, glaring at Andrew. “Can I pluck out his eyeballs now?”
Eileen couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. “Why would you threaten him?”
Maureen shrugged. "I thought what Eileen would do, and did that."
Eileen laughed, impressed by the gall. She wasn't wrong, though. "And why did you pull her off the pervert?" she asked Andrew.
"I was saving us from a murder charge. And probation with Senior."
Eileen widened her eyes and looked back at Maureen. Maureen shrugged, wiping her nose and tossing the bloody napkins on the table. Eileen wasn’t going to fault her for handling business, especially since it was Eileen’s fault Maureen hadn’t been properly trained. “Well at least if Maureen was the one to do it, I'm sure Senior would have let us off the hook," Eleen said, surprised as the usual venom that accompanied anything Maureen related was missing from her tone.
“You aren’t wrong about that,” Seamus agreed, his moved to her side, hand resting on Eileen’s lower back, the other holding out the last two darts. “Are you going to finish the game before we leave?”
Eileen glanced back to the board. Would it entertain her to see Maureen emptying the bedpans? Hell yes. But winning wouldn’t do anything for her or Maureen or the team. And with a glance at the unconscious men, she had to admit, Maureen wasn’t that bad.
“We’ll call this one a draw,” Eileen said. “But since you obviously have no idea how to conduct yourself outside the Institute, training starts at 6 am. Don’t be late.”