I Have Many Skills - Epilogue
Oct. 19th, 2009 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paulacasTitle: I Have Many Skills
Author: YanzaDracan
Fandom: Leverage/Supernatural
Pairing: Eliot/Dean; Eliot/Nate
Rating: FRM
Summary: Prompt – Eliot grew up a hunter’s son. Somehow the comment fic I wrote for nail polish and eyeliner (it's not what you think!) mutated and started collecting other prompts. The team is based in Portland ‘cause when this started TPTB had not yet announced they were using Portland as Boston, so rather than rewriting the whole shootin’ match--I left them in Portland.
http://yanzadracan.livejournal.com/24272.html
Eliot watched the black beast carry her precious cargo away from the curb wondering if he’d hear from either of the Winchesters again.
Dean’s final kiss hadn’t said ‘see you down the road’… it said, ‘Goodbye’.
Epilogue
Eliot stared blankly at the screen, unheeded tears falling freely down his face, Dean’s words skittering through his mind like cockroaches in the light.
Using discipline born from years of practice, the psychic ex-hunter, retrieval specialist caged his thoughts and emotions. A few splashes of cold water cleared any leftover cobwebs.
He spent the rest the evening in deep meditation listening to and arguing with his ancestors and spirit guides. Frustrated that they gave him the same advice Dean had given—use whatever means necessary to protect yourself and keep under the supernatural’s radar.
He received infrequent messages from Dean…enough to let him know he was alive, an occasional email containing information about the pending apocalypse, and any new protections they found, which led to phone calls to Bobby to find out what was really happening, which led to bouts of temper that left everyone but Nate and Parker giving the hitter a wide berth.
A dream vision that left him gasping in a cold sweat with a concerned Nate wrapped around him, had him on his “Hunter’ phone calling Dean.
When Sam answered, he told him Dean was in the hospital because Alastair escaped and nearly beat Dean to death. Eliot started to pack his bag to go kick angel ass until he realized—He. Couldn’t. Leave.
They were in the middle of a job. By the time the job was wrapped, Eliot was a mass of snarling surliness. Even the bad guys ran instead of mixing it up with bristling hitter.
Seeing the confusion and hurt on Nate’s face, Eliot got a hold of himself and unbent just enough to explain he was worried about an old friend.
He turned from where he was staring out the window and snagged the older man against his chest.
“Sorry, I’ve been such a bastard. This is the first time my ‘new’ life has clashed with my old, and I took it out on you guys.” Eliot explained sheepishly.
“Close friends?” Nate ventured.
“Yeah.”
“You want to visit them?” Nate pushed back enough to watch Eliot’s face.
“Naw. They’re long gone by now.” Eliot ducked his head so his expression was hidden by his hair. “Besides…This. Is. My. Life. Now. You and the team, I don’t want to go back there.” He pulled Nate in for a hard kiss.
As Nate sometimes lost himself in scotch, Eliot lost himself in Nate.
Two weeks later Dean called to say they were passing through Portland the next day. Not wanting his worlds to clash, Eliot hesitated.
Hearing that hesitation, Dean hid his hurt behind his smart mouth. “Dude, you got somethin’ goin’, we’ll take a rain check.”
Feeling guilty for his hesitation, he gave Dean the office address telling him he’d be there ‘til four.
They had settled in the lounge area with a beer when the door opened with a bang. Sophie and Nate arguing good naturedly, Parker and Hardison were following behind them, snickering. At the edge of the carpet, Parker stopped unable to go any further.
The three hunters exchanged a look. Eliot grabbed a bag of salt and laid lines along the doors and windows while the Winchesters approached the thief.
Inky blackness spread across dark blue eyes, a language unknown to the others spewed at Dean. Dean paled but held his ground as he answered in the same language.
Nate, hating that he didn’t know what was going on, inserted himself into the silent conversation Eliot seemed to be having with the two strangers.
“Eliot?” He started, but Eliot cut him off.
“Dean and Sam Winchester…friends. Boys…Nate, Sophie, Hardison, and the possessed girl is Parker.”
“Possessed!” Sophie gasped as she fell backward onto the couch.
“Seriously?” Hardison looked confused. “You punkin’ us, man?”
Pulling the silver knife from its sheath, Dean flipped back the corner of the carpet showing the devil’s trap on the floor. The demon gasped when it saw the knife in the hunter’s hand.
“Where’d you get that?” It snarled.
“A going away present.” Dean smirked, his eyes cutting to Eliot.
Afraid of what he’d see if he looked at Nate, Eliot focused on Parker.
The lapsed Catholic, ex-divinity student, man of brilliant plans, stared stupefied at the tableau playing out before his eyes, as did Sophie and Alec.
“Dean…we have to be careful. She’s Eliot’s friend.” Sam spoke softly.
“I know, Sam, but this is one of the old ones…Alastair class demon.” Dean hissed.
“Damn.”
“Yeah.”
“What did it say?” Eliot asked.
“We were just reminiscing about the bad ole days. She’s in the same line of work as Alastair, not quite the level of proficiency as Alastair, but close.” Dean shivered at the memory.
“Phoenicia.” Dean shook off the memory. “The demon known as Phoenicia.”
“Demons have names!?” Hardison squeaked.
The demon lunged, but bounced off the boundary of the ancient sigil. “Everything has a name, boy.”
Dean grabbed Eliot’s arm and turned him from the others.
“I’m sorry, man. If I thought something like this was gonna happened, we’d have never stopped.” He took a moment to lean into Eliot’s strength. “Why don’t you take the others somewhere else. We’ll do the best we can for your friend, but I gotta tell you, it’s gonna be hard. You’re out. We can keep you out of the line of fire while we do this.”
“No. I…we…won’t leave Parker. If we leave her…when she’s herself again…she’ll feel like we abandoned her.”
Dean sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “This isn’t gonna be your standard exorcism. The host isn’t always in the best shape when we’re done.” Serious green eyes clashed with blue. “Keep them out of the way.”
With a heavy heart and feet, Eliot approached the others.
“Eliot? What’s going on?” Nate asked calmly.
“My old life just collided with my new.” He rubbed his face tiredly. “Dean and Sam are the best at what they do—they’ll do everything they can for Parker.”
As the remaining members of Leverage watched, Dean used the etched blade to slice his thumb open. The demon eyed the hunter warily.
“Dean?” Sam reached for his brother as Dean stepped into the devil’s trap with the demon.
Before she could move, Dean had smeared the blood that had been in contact with the spelled blade across Parker’s third eye, immobilizing her.
“Sam, get a chair and rope.” Dean ordered.
Years of conditioning had the younger man moving to fulfill his brother’s order before he could question Dean about the blood.
Using the skills carved into his soul by John Winchester and Alastair, Dean shut out the world outside the devil’s trap, ignored the stories the frightened demon was telling about Dean’s time in hell, and concentrated solely on Phoenicia, Parker, and what his knife was showing him.
He could ‘see’ Parker hidden in the darkened corner of her mind, watching him with wide eyes that reminded him of those velvet paintings of the big-eyed kittens. His face softened as he tried to reassure the bent little thief that he’d do his best not to hurt her more than necessary to get rid of the demon.
Parker gave him a tight smile and a small nod that indicated she was okay with whatever he had to do.
Eliot and Sam exchanged a look as they watched Dean staring into Parker’s eyes while the demon continued to spin her tails of torture, blood and pain.
Eliot placed a comforting hand on Sam’s arm.
“Demons lie, Sam.” Eliot kept his voice low.
The ex-hunter was surprised when the hazel eyes that met his were calm, clear of any concern about what he was hearing.
“Not when the truth causes more damage.” He said just as softly. “Dean told me what happened. Other than the gory details, she’s not saying anything I haven’t heard from Dean.”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Your friends on the other hand are looking a little green.”
“They did just get thrown in the deep end of the pool.” Eliot’s tone was droll.
“Phoenicia would rather have your meat suit than Parker’s.” Sam said bluntly.
“It couldn’t get past my spirit guides.” Eliot nodded at the pair of black wolves watching Dean.
“Holy…I can see them.” Sam’s voice was full awe as the twin black heads turned and eerily human blue eyes looked at him before turning their attention back to Dean and Parker.
Dean had stripped down to his t-shirt and taken off Parker’s shoes and socks and pulled her shirt off her shoulders.
Alarmed, Sam moved toward his brother when Dean laid open his arm and calmly watched his own blood run into a bowl sitting on the table. He was stopped in his tracks as Eliot’s wolves put themselves between the brothers. His head snapped around to Eliot who shrugged in helpless frustration.
Heating the edge of the knife with his Zippo, Dean calmly closed the cut, ignoring the stench and pain of seared flesh as he picked up the bowl and walked over to the blonde tied to the chair.
Phoenicia fell silent as black eyes took in the bowl of angel blessed blood and the en-scorcered knife that that could kill anything.
“Say ‘Hi’ to gang for me.” Dean said softly.
He began to recite an exorcism so old even Phoenicia didn’t recognize its origins. The demon was so intrigued by this Dean Winchester she barely felt the silver knife slice the sole of her foot until his blood hit the open cut. He did the same to the other foot. The demon felt her essence being pushed upward.
The recitation and the cuts continued. Navel, left palm, right palm, the demon was being chased out of the human by the blood of the man who’d been pulled from hell by an angel. Heart, throat until Phoenicia’s essence was trapped between Parker’s third eye chakra and her mouth. As the exorcism ended Phoenicia felt herself ripped from the thief, and the demon knew no more.
Using the last of his blood, he swiped his finger across Parker’s lips, as an ancient benediction fell from his. He untied the slim woman, gently brushing the hair from her face and calling her name.
The Leverage team watch in amazement as the touch-me-not thief threw herself into Dean’s arms, wrapping around him like a limpet causing Dean to stagger.
The look of ‘help me?’ Dean threw Eliot and Sam caused them to chuckle. Dean always had that effect on children and animals. They knew a safe place when they saw one.
When the others heard the two laughing at Parker’s antics, the atmosphere in the room lightened considerably. They all turned to see Dean whispering in Parker’s ear. Dark blue eyes lit up as she nodded her head in agreement. She gave the hunter a blazing kiss, her tongue mapping his mouth and most of his face before turning him loose and launching herself at Eliot.
The hitter set the thief gently on her feet. “Let me see your cuts, Parker. I wanna get them bandaged.”
Parker lifted her hands. “No blood…no cuts…no bandages...no more demon.” She said brightly.
She leaned heavily against Eliot’s chest and yawned. “I’m really tired. That bitch was hard to fight.”
“Phoenicia was a very old and powerful demon. You did good Parker.” Eliot soothed as he carried her to the couch.
The blonde nodded against his chest. “She really hates Dean. She was Alastair’s favorite until Dean.” Eliot paled at Parker’s words.
Everyone turned around to see what Dean’s reaction was to her statement, but the brothers were gone.
Eliot started to lower the thief to the couch, but strong fingers clung to his arms.
“Don’t go.”
“We won’t.” Eliot motioned for the shell-shocked Hardison to sit on the other end of the couch.
Parker wiggled her toes under his t-shirt and against the hacker’s stomach as her head rested on Eliot’s broad chest. Sophie threw an afghan over her to ward off a chill, while Nate poured them all a stiff drink.
Parker was almost asleep when she spoke again.
“Dean says he’s sorry about tarnishing your shiny new life.” She words began to slur with sleep. “He loves you…oh and Goodbye.”
Eliot tipped his head back as pain lanced through his chest. He closed his eyes tightly against the tears that threatened.
*Damn you, Dean Winchester.* He thought until he felt Nate’s hand on his clenched fist.
He relaxed his hand and laced his fingers with the older man’s. Taking a long drink from his glass and a deep breath, he started to talk.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 06:57 pm (UTC)*highlights to read anyway*
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Date: 2009-10-19 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 07:12 pm (UTC)I have the feeling that Eliot didn't really mind having his new life "tarnished"... I hope he can let go and finds peace with Nate...
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Date: 2009-10-19 07:18 pm (UTC)Don't have a clue where the possession came from. *headdesk* The voices have finally won.
And don't you start with the 'nablin' thing either. I see that last little quip. LOL
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Date: 2009-10-19 09:18 pm (UTC)But seriously, it wasn't meant like that. Not that I would mind... *g* but it's kind of a closure...
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Date: 2009-10-19 09:35 pm (UTC)Little poking with my pointy stick...Loomy, Elphie, Eliot/Lindsey? *waggles eyebrows*
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Date: 2010-10-27 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 01:42 am (UTC)