So I was HOPING to have 1 complete story and 2 complete ficlets done for @warriorgays birthday today. I donât know why I plan on anything honestly bc whenever I do my family decides itâs time for massive Home Improvement Projects which take up my days off. I wanted to get SOMETHING up for Alexâs birthday though, so hereâs a very long preview of the will-not-end superbowl fic:
A lot had changed in Babe Heffronâs life since 2004. His Philly family had lost a few members, but gained a ton between new babies, a hell of a bunch of in-laws, and groups of folks that just got adopted in along the way. In those years Bill had lost an entire leg, gained a desk job, finally convinced Fran to marry his foolish ass, and started raising three kids. Ralph was an actual <i>doctor</i> now, running one of the Thibodaux Medical Clinics just outside Baton Rouge. Maggie lived with Ralph and Sid in their own place in St. Boniface, working at the clinic there and forging her own path like usual.
 And Babe?
 Babe went from being a bartender to working an actual office job for Nixon Development. He had most weekends and holidays off and a 401k and an actual accountant to handle his taxes now. He was <i>married</i> for Christâs sake. To a frigginâ <i>doctor</i>. In Louisiana of all places. If he couldâve gone back in time and told his teenage self heâd be settled down, far away from South Philly, with some Cajun doc heâd met during Mardi Gras, he probably wouldâve punched himself. He definitely wouldâve called Ron to take care of his delusional evil clone.
 And there was no way, in any of his wildest dreams, he couldâve predicted having Merl-Francis as his brother-in-law.
 He was pretty fucking proud of Shelton too. Boy had gone and become a Registered Nurse. Theyâd done so many study sessions in the middle of the night to past that certification test. Theyâd held a bake sale outside the clinic to raise the $500 fee just to take that fucking test.
 Merl-Francis got it done on the first try.
 So Babe definitely couldnât complain about how his life had turned out since last February 2004. 2018, despite the hellscape that had become the world in general, hadnât been too bad to him so far. He was cautiously optimistic about the year, after having gotten past the normal mourning days around Christmas. It was nearing his anniversary of meeting Gene and the Eagles were in the play-offs. So yeah, things were looking bright and shiny for Babe Heffron. Sure, he was waiting for Ralph to <i>finally<i> admit he was dating Maggie, but that was more fun to watch Spina struggle to come up with excuses for why he couldnât hang out other than âIâm dating your little sister.â It was amusing as hell.
 And then fucking New England has to fuck up the good year Babe had going for him. Honestly, he shouldâve expected it from the Patriots.
 âYou look like youâre fixing to punch the tv,â Eugene Sledge said as he looked up from his laptop. âPlease donât. It took Snafu three different trips to pick that one out.â
 âI had to compare the specs,â Merl-Francis said through a mouth of crab dip.
 Gene slapped him. âClose your mouth. Never could take you nowhere.â
 Merl-Francis glared at him. âWe at home, Gene-Baptiste. Ainât no one here not used to me.â
 âWe still donât want to see all that,â Gene said.
 None of the men present understood Babeâs pain. It was the fucking Patriots. Again. If only Ralph and Maggie were here, instead of being all responsible and working. They didnât get it, this group of Saints fans. They didnât <i>know</i>.
 âYou donât understand,â Babe said.
 Sledge shrugged and went back to working on his manuscript. âYou donât like the Patriots. A lot of people donât. Andyâs probably the only one I know who does.â
 âNo,â Babe said. âItâs a rematch of Thirty-Nine. I donât know if I can take this shit again.â He stood up and went to the small kitchen medicine cabinet. âI need all the Tums.â
 Merl-Francis smirked at him. âYou got such a weak constitution.â
 âFuck you,â Babe said as he stepped over a sleeping Kipling.
 Babeâs phone started to ring on the coffee table. Gene reached for it and frowned as he looked at the screen.
 âWhat?â Babe asked as he shook a handful of Tums into his hand.
 âItâs your dad,â Gene said.
 âWell, answer it,â Babe said.
 âGood evening, Mr. Heffron,â Gene greeted as he put the phone on speaker.
 Joe Heffron sighed. âGene, when will you just call me âdadâ?â
 âSorry, sir,â Gene said.
 His dad sighed again. âWeâll work on it. Whereâs my boy? Eating a handful of antacids?â
 âYes,â Gene said glancing over at Babe.
 Babe made a face at both of them. It wasnât his fault his stomach didnât like sports-event related stress.
 âJust like his mother,â Dad said. âOnce heâs done choking down chalk, tell him to call me back. We need to know when heâs coming home.â
 âWhat now?â Babe asked.
 âThereâs my boy. Youâre coming home for the Super Bowl. You canât celebrate it <i>there</i>.â Dad paused. âNo offense, boys.â
 âNone taken,â Gene said.
 âBullshit,â Merl-Francis muttered.
 His father did have a point. There was just something about Philly fans being at home around other Philly fans. Look, he knew the reputation they had in the sports world. They were the most asshole of fans who did stupid shit like climb poles and flip over cars and throw batteries at opposing pitchers and fall into the penalty box to fight a professional hockey player and booed Santa Claus once almost fifty years ago. And sure things got so bad for a time there the Eagles Court had to be established to deal with all the shit happening at games, but that had been disbanded over fifteen years ago. Despite all that, there was nothing like being around that energy. Even with the actual game in Minneapolis, Babe had to admit that he couldnât picture watching the game anywhere else but in his parentsâ living room.
 âI donât know if I can get the time off,â Babe admitted.
 Merl-Francis laughed. âYou run that office. You can give yourself some days off. Take Gene with you, he needs a vacation.â
 âI have work,â Gene said.
 âNope, youâve got paperwork,â Merl-Francis said. âYou donât even practice much medicine anymore, running all the Thibodaux clinics. You got Anna, Renee, Sid, and Bryan to cover your shit. Take a vacation.â
 âYou forgot Spina,â Babe said.
 âRalph and Maggie conditionally asked for the time off if the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl,â Gene said. âI already approved their vacation.â
 Merl-Francis grinned from his sprawl on the couch. âTheyâll be there, Mr. Heffron.â
 âI knew I could trust you, Merriell,â he said. âYou and Eugene should come up as well. Youâve got to come see our city again.â
 Merl-Francis smiled like that had been his plan all along. âI wouldnât miss it.â
 âFuck,â Babe muttered as he threw another couple Tums into his mouth. He eyed the economy sized bottle of Excedrin as Merl-Francis started humming an off-tune version of <i>Fly Like An Eagle</i>. As he started on the second verse Babe reached for the bottle and reminded himself to pack it for the trip to Pennsport.
 <center>**********</center>
 There was a sold period of Babeâs life where he couldnât go back to Philly. At first it was a question of safety. In the wake of Julianâs murderâand thatâs what it was even if people still didnât want to call it thatâBabe was forbidden from setting foot in the city. He couldnât explain that to his parents, didnât want them to know everything about Ron Speirsâ more classified business dealings or the shit Babe sometimes got mired in to make an extra buck. And the more people who knew the truth, the more lives were at risk.
 After that issue got permanently resolved, Babe couldnât return because of his own grief. It was funny, really. Babeâs grief was they excuse they used for so long while Julianâs killers were being hunted down, that even Babe forgot there was a world of truth to it. He didnât know how deep the roots of his grief had grown, even after years, until he was asked to return to Pennsport and had an actual fucking panic attack.
 He couldnât make himself get on a plane back then, so they drove, and honestly? Babe didnât know what he did in his past lives to get Gene, but he was full of immense gratitude to whatever good deeds he accomplished back then.
 After overcoming that emotional hurdle, Babe made sure to visit at least twice a year. Heâd just been there back in October to welcome the latest Guarnere into the world and hadnât planned on returning again until May.
 Babe looked through the storage bins and the closet and realized heâd probably have to buy a winter coat while he was up there. The two heâd owned had already been claimed by Gene and Merl-Francis. Sledge, ever the Boy Scout, already had his own.
 âWell thatâs a nice view,â Gene said.
 Babe laughed and wiggled his ass as he leaned over the bin. âAt least thereâs something you still like about me.â
 âIâm just with you for the life insurance and the tax break,â Gene said.
 âFigure out how youâre going to kill me yet?â Babe asked.
 âI figured with the amount of almond milk you drink Iâll just let the cyanide do its thing. Claim you mustâve got hold of some bitter almonds and made your own homemade glass of milky poison.â
 Babe looked up and had to laugh at the evil smirk on Geneâs face. âThatâs horrifically brilliant.â
 Gene shrugged. âI needed something to do at the last board meeting.â
 Gene didnât like having to play the businessman. He liked being a doctor, it was his calling, but they both knew how important it was to him to make sure lower-income and rural areas had access to decent health care clinics. It was a never-ending battle with local governments and the more religious members of the board who didnât want to provide free contraceptives, pregnancy tests, or rides to the few Planned Parenthood clinics still in the state, but Gene always won. It was hard to argue with him when he got <i>that</i> look on his face and <i>that</i> tone in his voice.
 âMaybe you need this vacation,â Babe said.
 Gene nodded as he walked into their bedroom. âI was thinking about going down to five days a week too. Apparently thereâs benefit in taking more than one day off a week.â
 Babe almost fell on his ass. âDid I just hear you speaking actual common sense?â
 âFuck you,â Gene said with love.
 Babe grabbed an armful of sweaters and walked over to his open suitcase. âI know what this is about. Itâs because youâre turning forty next year.â
 âFuck you,â Gene repeated. He slipped his arms around Babeâs waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. âYou got enough clothes there?â
 âHalf of these are for you,â Babe said. He leaned back into Geneâs embrace and softly laughed. âAnd Merl-Francis. Heâs going to have ten layers on. Weâll be able to roll his ass down the street.â
 Gene laughed in agreement. âNever could fatten that boy up.â His lips were warm when the pressed against Babeâs temple. âYou happy?â
 It had been on those little traditions of theirs, to ask this, in the quiet times. The answers differed at times, but it was an honest question for an honest answer.
 âSo much,â Babe said. He turned his head to meet Geneâs warm gaze. âSo much,â he repeated.
 <center>**********</center>
 After the job that had cost both Bill and Joe Toye a leg a piece, theyâd come back to Philly to stay. There had been some bullshit with the Department of Defense, even more with Veteranâs Affairs, and finally theyâd just taken jobs with the Nixon Development Philadelphia office. Joe had been officially adopted by the Guarnere-Heffron-Julian-Spina clans. Fran and Bill had insisted Joe live with them, since their place had newly constructed ramps and handrails, and while itâd been a fight, Joe had finally given in.
 The Guarnere home was their first stop. Babe pulled their rental car up to the small strip of concrete that masqueraded as a driveway on the backend of the house. He had insisted on driving, knowing damn well his car full of backwoods country boys wouldnât survive the trip from the airport without getting in at least three accidents. Babe smiled to himself as he got out of the car. St. Boniface was home, had been for a long time, but there was nothing like the old buildings and decorated front stoops of where he grew up. Green and white flags and Eagles logos decorated damn near everything as far as the eye could see.
 âUncle Babe!â
 Babe braced himself as Juliana Guarnere came running down the steps at full speed.
 âYou gonna dent the car,â Merl-Francis said from where he sat in the backseat, huddled up like he was about to trek the Antarctic. It wasnât even that cold outside.
 Babe caught Juliana up in his arms and marveled at how tall sheâd grown. Seven years old and already half her motherâs size. She had green and white hearts painted on her cheeks which clashed horribly with the faded orange and back Flyers t-shirt she wore.
 âMissed you, Julie,â he said, hugging her tight.
 She gave Babe another hug and then moved on to Gene before waving at Sledge. She frowned at Merl-Francis in the backseat.
 âIs he okay?â
 âHeâs cold-blooded like his gator relatives. Heâs just conserving his body heat,â Babe said.
 âI can hear you,â Merl-Francis said. He finally slid out of the car. âI assume thereâs heat inside your house.â
 âDuh,â Juliana said. She grabbed Babeâs hand and tugged him towards the back door. âCome on! Uncle Joeâs making lunch. Uncle Ralph is supposed to be coming by too. Why didnât he fly with you?â
 âHe had his tickets long before we got ours,â Babe said.
 ââCause heâs got more faith in the Eagles than you,â Juliana said.
 Babe laughed. âYou sound like your grandmother.â
 Juliana laughed as they walked into the kitchen that smelled like ricotta and marinara. Joe Toye was balanced on a stool over the stove, slathering loaves of bread with butter.
 âLook at you all domestic and shit,â Babe said.
 Joe smirked at him and cleaned his hands on the bar towel resting on his shoulder. âI canât cook much, but this? Iâve got it down.â
 âSmells good,â Gene said. He was looking at Joe with his doctorâs gaze, but probably only Babe and Merl-Francis knew it enough to tell. âAnything we can do to help?â
 âYeah,â Joe said. âGet out of my kitchen. Go play with the kids. Henryâs teething, just so you know.â
 Juliana nodded. âItâs the worst.â
 âYou werenât exactly a ball of fun,â Joe said. He tugged on Julianaâs ponytail. âYou going to stay here? Be my proper sous chef?â
 âDo I get first dibs on the sauce?â Juliana asked, a wicked grin on her face reminiscent of her father.
 âOf course,â Joe promised.
 âOkay,â Juliana said. She waved at Babe and Gene. âYou know the way.â
 Gene led the other two out, but Babe lingered by the doorway.
 âHey, Joe?â he said.
 âYou about to start singing some Hendrix at me, Heffron?â Joe asked. âThe baby wailing is enough noise.â
 Babe shook his head. Some things would never change. âJust saying, you look good.â He paused and added, âAsshole,â as a parting shot.
 âWatch your mouth,â Juliana yelled after him.
 Babe followed the sound of childish laughter to the living room. Bill Guarnere held court on the couch, little Henry is his lap sucking down a bottle and four-year-old Sofia laughing as Bill made funny faces at her, apparently more entertaining than the Bubble Guppies on the screen.
 Sledge was looking over all the family photographs on the wall, while Merl-Francis had claimed the chair closest to the heating vent. Gene was conspicuously absent.
 âFran stole him,â Bill said.
 âAlready?â Babe said. He held out his hands and took the baby and the bottle. âThatâs got to be a record.â
 âWe got a new big girl bed for Sofia and a canopy to go with it. The canopy is driving Fran up the wall.â
 âItâs has Elsa and Anna on it,â Sofia helpfully supplied.
 âAnd it lights up,â Bill said.
 âJealous you donât get one?â Babe asked. He shifted Henry in his arms, surprised how much heâd grown since the last time Babe had seen him, and tried not to make a face when he got spit up on.
 âWhy do all your children do this to me?â
 Bill smiled, eyes tinged with memories from a lifetime together. âMaybe itâs just a Guarnere thing.â
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