Quill, Parchment, & Ink

Title: Bedtime Stories
Characters: Jake Jensen, Beth Jensen, mentions of other Losers
Fandom: Losers (post-movie)
Summary: Jake and Jackie have an unusual bedtime routine.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Minor swearing
Disclaimer: Nobody recognizable belongs to me (yeah I need to get back into the swing of wacky disclaimers…)
Author's Note: So I was watching CSI:NY last night and it was the one where Danny’s telling stories to Lindsey’s belly while she’s pregnant. I kinda screwed this one sideways on purpose. Since I’m not entirely sure Jensen would be home when his sister was pregnant. And I’ve got another one here which is Sanctuary fandom…any other suggestions for geek fandoms?


Jensen looked up from his work as Beth poked her head into the living room. “You’re supposed to be in bed, Microbyte,” he reminded her as he set his laptop aside and invited her to crawl into his lap. He shifted her around so they both fit in the overstuffed chair as the other Losers glanced up from what they were doing. As they saw the interruption was just Jensen’s niece, they returned their attention to their tasks. “Did you have a bad dream, Beth?” he asked quietly.

She shook, then nodded, then shook her head again, apparently unable to make up her mind. “I thought you left,” she whispered. “For good.”

“Well, I do have to leave soon,” Jensen reminded her. “But I’m not gonna leave in the middle of the night. And I will be back.” His voice dropped into a lower register on the last sentence and he was obviously quoting something, the phrasing making Beth giggle softly. He hugged her tightly, before nudging her towards the shelving unit on the other side of the room. “Go pick something to read and I’ll tuck you back into bed.”

Beth skirted the rest of the team, not out of fear, but so she didn’t bother them. A casual observer would see the young girl felt no fear of the men, but didn’t want to disturb whatever they were doing. For a few minutes, she picked through the shelves before deciding on what looked like a thin paper and carrying it back to Jensen. “This,” she told him.

Jensen glanced at what she held, then asked, “Are you sure?” At her nod, he shrugged and after setting his laptop on the table, he stood up, scooping her into his arms. “All righty then. Say good night, Beth.”

“Good night, Beth,” she parroted obediently drawing laughs from the rest of the team.

Jensen tipped her over his shoulder, making her squeal. “Smart ass,” he informed her. “Tell them good night the right way.”

“Good night, Uncle Cougar, Uncle Pooch, Mr. Clay, Ms. Aisha,” Beth replied when Jensen turned her upright so she could see them.

“Night, Beth,” they replied.

Pooch held his hand out to Jensen. “What does she want you to read?”

Jensen handed over a thin comic book, causing a raised eyebrow from Pooch. “You read your niece comic books as bedtime stories?”

“Hey, I was read comic books and it never damaged me!” Jensen protested.

“That’s debatable,” was the reply as the rest of the team laughed softly. Jensen glared at his team in response, but didn’t bother replying verbally, simply shifting Beth in his arms and fleeing the room. There was absolutely nothing wrong with comic books as a bedtime story.