“Wow, you’re looking great tonight.”

Well, that wasn’t quite what Abby had been expecting when she had volunteered to answer the doorbell’s summons. Or when she had actually opened the door, for that matter. It certainly hadn’t been a comment she might expect from the young man currently standing before her exposed toes, bottle of champagne in-hand as his neck concluded craning to give him a nice little look at the arched eyebrow focused in his direction.

And from the way Sean Morrison’s eyes proceeded to bulge as he mouthed a horrified little “oh”, Abby had the sinking suspicion that she wasn’t alone in facing something rather unexpected in the moment. Which, in her current mood, she supposed was a bit too bad for her newest guest

“And you’re being rather forward,” Abby remarked seriously, letting her arched brow fall into a squinting rest. Her right hand, resting as it was at her side, began to rise, open palm gliding over the material of her dress until its rather deliberate journey came to an end against her hip. The rapidly reddening face below was really all the encouragement she needed to keep going, and her other hand rose in just as deliberate a motion until it was soon covering her heart. And for good measure, she let her features soften. Just a bit. “And while I deeply appreciate the compliment, I don’t think this is the best night for it.”

“No…I….ah”, the Alpha sputtered, his embarrassment clearly squelching any anything potential coherence. Abby was also fairly certain a swear had rounded the attempt out.

“I mean, what would Claire think if she heard you?” she asked, earning a delightful little flinch that paled in comparison to the one soon to follow. “Or my husband, for that matter? I am a married woman, you know.”

At this point, the young Aegis intern was so red that Abby internally wondered if his head might be about to pop. It was really fairly adorable, and the sight of it threatened to bring a real smile to her lips for the first time during this little gathering. Another first for the night was an actual fond recognition of something from years past, however tainted it was by the actual events that had surrounded it. The image of a little thirteen-year old Sean being carried into the Facility, cupped gently in her daughter’s hands, and overtaken by a redness that he was currently doing his level best to match. Honestly, she was a little tempted to press just a bit further, just to see if he could manage to actually top it. A slight bit of revenge for reminding her of how time had stopped.

“It’s good to see you again, Sean,” Abby stated genuinely, teasing complete, and she could practically hear the “thank God” that had so very clearly mentally accompanied his relieved sigh. “I’m glad you could make it.” Sean was, ultimately, a good kid. Better than most of his kind. A fact he had proven at cost years ago. And so, she figured, that could earn him a few leniencies here and there. After her need for amusement had been sated, of course. Something he was polite enough to continue doing as he fumbled around briefly with a flustered jumble of apologies, greetings, and words of gratitude for the welcome. All the while, focusing dead ahead of himself as he made every effort to regain his bearings.

“So, want to come in, or are we being content to just stare?” Abby gently chided, giving her toes a little wiggle and allowing her lips to form a little grin as Sean’s face craned immediately upwards yet again.

“Come in. I’d like to come in. Please,” he machine-gunned out, his hurry continuing to entertain.

“Then I suppose you’ll be needing a lift?”

“Uh, yes ma’am. Please. Um…Dr. Howard isn’t, uh, up there, is he?” To that, Abby just continued to grin, and gave a little side-eye to her unoccupied shoulder. Granted, Sean wasn’t exactly privy to that little detail from his vantage point at her doorstep. “Ah, shit.”

“He’s not, Sean. You got lucky,” Abby informed. And he had. Howard normally would have accompanied her, but he was currently engrossed in conversation with Greg and David. And he absolutely would have gotten a kick out of the whole thing had he been present, and likely wouldn’t have been able to look at his daughter’s hapless friend without laughing for the rest of the night. The relief on Sean’s face, of course, was nearly palpable, and Abby nearly snorted as he looked up at her with a face that was practically begging for an end to its owner’s torment. Still pining for another drink, the Omega decided to oblige – for now – and slowly knelt down. With careful quickness, she moved a hand toward her guest, palm parallel to the ground and fingers splayed. The Alpha slipped between her index and middle fingers, and like a pair of scissors they closed in, just tight enough to hold him securely. With a practiced fluidity, her wrist twisted, and as her palm changed facing, her pinning digits curled inward, and deposited Sean feet-first onto her open palm before releasing and letting him be. He quickly took a seat, champagne bottle clutched protectively against his stomach.

“I really do hope that’s not a gift for me, by the way” Abby stated, with good humor abound in her voice as she stood up, closing the door behind her as she stepped back into her home. “And that someone besides you bought it.”

“Oh, uh, no ma’am. Sorry. It’s not. I didn’t. Sarah sent it. For Dr. Howard.” This rapid-fire method of response really was amusing Abby a bit too much as she delicately pinched the little glass bottle between her fingers.

“Well in that case,” she started, while walking softly through the den in her approach to Claire’s little but boisterous group in the dining room, “I’d say your sister made a great choice, and would ask you to thank her for it.”

“Now,” Abby continued, a little bit of devilry returning to her as she halted next to her daughter at the head of the table. A wide, radiant smile greeted the two of them, though Claire’s attention was truly only focused on one of them. Abby smiled, too. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell Claire what you told me?”

And it was with that little suggestion Abby was almost positive that she heard the heart of the young man occupying her palm come to a pounding halt.