Fic - The Mother of Invention

[commanderteddog.livejournal.com]

Title: The Mother of Invention
Rating: G
Universe: Home
Timeline: Summer, 2006
Written: August, 2006
Summary: Nance takes up cooking. Based on the prompt Chili Pepper


There was a soft tap at bedroom door. Visits in the late evening weren't uncommon, but Rick had assumed that everyone else had headed up to bed already tonight and it was going to be quiet evening.

“It's open!” Rick said, managing to wan his concentration from the comic book he was reading.

A feminine figure pushed open the door and stepped into the room. In her arms was a small cloth bundle tied up in a surprisingly neat bow.

“Nance, what are you doing here this late?” Rick lifted his glasses up and rubbed his eyes. Stealing a glance at his alarm clock, he noted that it was later than he expected.

Nan-Cy slowly shut the door behind her. Only a soft creak could be heard, not enough to raise suspicions from anyone. Not bothering to offer an explanation, she forced a small smile and quietly walked over to the side of Rick's bed.

The restrained manner was a dead give away that something was up and Rick tilted his head in confusion. Maybe the real Nance had been kidnapped by pod people and he'd have to deal with this imposer who dared to have the nerve to come into his bedroom. What a night not to have a baseball bat resting against your bedpost.

The Nance-like creature sat down at the edge of the bed, making hardly a sound. Blushing slightly, she looked at the floor fumbled with the bow on the bundle. The stillness last a moment, breaking when she cleared her throat.

“I know I don't strike you as the homemaker type,” she said, not yet ready to look at Rick. “And I know I'm not one either, so don't get any stupid ideas in your head. I'm still short on cash, but I felt bad that your birthday got lost in that shitty mission.”

Rick placed the comic down on the bed and shuffled over behind Nan-Cy. “It wouldn't have been right to suddenly remind everyone that it was my birthday that week. We were stuck in a motel in the middle of Massachusetts and we weren't even sure if it was safe there.”

“Right, and it's fine to forget my boyfriend's birthday.”

The hairs on Rick's neck stood up on end at her tone. “If it makes you feel better, I don't really have a birthday to forget for you.”

Nan-Cy flashed a quick grin. “I'll have you know I'm working on that.” She lifted up the small bundle, offering it to Rick.

“Oh, and is this your future birthday wish list?” As he took it from her, Rick noticed that the package weighted a fair bit, more than he expected. He raised it up to get a closer inspection, getting a light slap on his leg from Nance.

“Stop being so cute and open it up.” Nance said with a nervous little smile.

It didn't take long for Rick to open the package; it was only tied shut with the single ribbon. He pulled back the wrapped cloth, revealing a small pile of chocolate cookies nestled at the bottom. Without hesitation, he helped himself to one.

“I'm still paying back the cash from the gambling scheme.” Nan-Cy put on a brave face as she provided an explanation. “So, Lorna suggested that I should bake something with her help instead getting more in debt. I call them Double Chocolate Spice Cookies. They were going to be normal chocolate cookies with chocolate chips, except I knocked over a bottle of ground chili peppers into the batter. Lorna said there wasn't anything we could do about it and that we should just run with it... What do you think?”

Rick coughed and fought with himself to swallow the hunk of deceivingly chocolaty cookie as a wave of chili pepper hit his tongue. It went down after a struggled. “It's... different.” he replied, coughing up some stray crumbs.