Beneath The Still Surface Part II

[paulacas]

Title: Beneath the Still Surface Part II
Author: yanzadracan
Artists: deannawesson
Characters/Pairings: Eliot/Parker/Hardison; Nate; Sophie; The Norns; The Moirae; Mention of various Norse deities
Rating: R; Mostly for language
Genre: Slash, AU, het, fusion/crossover
Warnings/spoilers: descriptions of violence; Season 2 forward; dialogue from The Big Bang Job; small spoilers for Season 4, Long Way Down Job.
Word Count: 7,280/16,763
Summary: The Wyrd Sisters rebuild the Loom of Fate from the movie, Wanted. The Norse Fates pick the Leverage team to be the Avatars for their 'White Collar' division. Finding Eliot Spencer working with the team was an unforeseen bonus as the Fates try to reclaim what they'd lost so long ago.
Link(s) to fic: Masterpost
Link to art:  Masterpost
                                                                                                 Something was off. For someone who claimed they were only in Boston as a favor to Sophie, and for the money, Tara tried to insinuate herself way too far into his life. Eliot would close his eyes and breathe deep-one to calm his temper because she definitely rubbed him the wrong way, and two there was a smell…

When Syn opened the door she had to step lively to get out of the way of the storm that was Eliot Spencer. He never acknowledged her presence has he slammed the cage door on the elevator and headed for the floor of offices.

Her chair turned to look out over Boston Harbor while she read the file on an arms dealer named Kadjic, Verthandia's heart nearly stopped when she heard a low growl in her ear.

"I can find someone to fuck all by myself. I don't need one of your ill-bred thralls trying to insinuate herself into my bed."

"Himmelen…Eliot, I assure you she's not a thrall."

"She carries the stench of Asgard." He spun the chair around to get in her face. "It's a very distinct stench I remember well."

"She carries a bit of Asgard in her blood-just as you are a Halfling…She is…was…convenient." Verthandia answered carefully.

"People make the mistake of thinkin' I'm stupid 'cause of the way I dress and talk, but I'm very good at what I do." His icy glare reminded the Fate of the realm of Skadi, the goddess of winter. "I'm sure since you knew my father's name that you were able to get my file from before-so why would you think I wouldn't notice…"

"I only wished for you to have someone worthy of you." Verthandia started to explain.

"No one is worthy of the grief that being with Eliot Spencer would bring them." His voice was practically a hiss.

He turned for the door, but paused in the threshold.

"If you're trying be my mother-don't. I obviously didn't need one at four and I definitely don't want or need one now."

Stung, Verthandia turned back to the windows, file lying in her lap forgotten.

Instead of leaving, Eliot took the stairs to the loom room.

Urd was not surprised when her grandson entered the room. She always knew where everyone in her bloodline was at any time, so she had felt him enter the building. Since Eliot had come to her, she waited for him to speak.

"What's your game?" He asked simply.

"No game." She kept it just as simple.

Why wait until now if you wanted to find me?"

"It was a coincidence."

Eliot snorted.

Urd reached under the collar of her blouse and pulled out a necklace woven from all the colors of the spectrum.

"When Thandi took you back to Midgard, I pulled your thread from my tapestry."

"Shouldn't I have died?" Eliot was still angry, but he was also confused.

"I pulled the thread. I did not cut the thread. You simply vanished from notice."

"If the thread was pulled how did I show up again?"

"Because you were no longer alone. When you became involved with the others, you started to show up in the warp of their weave. We thought if you took to Tara and left with her there was a chance you would go back to being a shadowy figure in the background."

"How bad? How soon?" Eliot asked.

"The longer you are together, the more your lives mesh-the more that will come into the light." Urd reached to lay a comforting hand on his arm.

He didn't shake her off, but he did move out from under her concern.

"I did what I did. Never thought I'd live long enough to have to worry about it coming back to bite me in the ass." His chuckle was dark.

He turned to leave, but stopped as though he'd forgotten something. Ridiculously long eyelashes hid the blue/grey eyes as his sight turned inward. Life lines that started, disappeared, reappeared, tangled, twisted, their colors muted. When he opened them all Urd could think of were shards of Asgard's glaciers.

"That's why you wanted someone from The Fraternity, or someone they'd trained. I won't be your pet assassin. I won't do that again." His tone brooked no argument.

"I only want the children that were taken. They're extremely important, and must be removed from their present situation before they are forever lost." Urd's thoughts were racing trying to salvage the situation.

%%%%%

Eliot's ability to 'read' situations and timelines was stronger than she'd anticipated. When she'd chosen Spencer Travers II to be Eliot's father, she'd chosen him for his looks, determination, and high IQ without considering other aspects of his bloodline. With his auburn hair and blue eyes, Spencer inherited his looks from his mother, and passed himself as white after his Cherokee father was killed while an adviser to the South in the early days of the Vietnam War. Spencer Travers II was 12.

As an adult, he'd gone to work for his grandfather's prestigious Louisville, Kentucky law firm, straight out of school and added his name as a full partner when the old gentlemen's health began to decline two years later.

When her machinations sent Verthandia to him, she had overlooked the faded thread of the Travers line…A line of Cherokee warriors and medicine people unbroken for thousands of years. Mixing that blood with that of Asgard had given her a grandson that knew too much, saw too much, and refused to back down…ever.

Her brain rushed to recall the facts of his life before he became Eliot Spencer. Early graduation; early out of Annapolis; Navy Seals; then into the abyss of missions where there were no names or faces, and then…yes that would do accomplish what she wanted.

%%%%%

"I do not need an assassin, Eliot. I need a retrieval specialist." At his look of disbelief she continued. "It is another of the reasons all the Fates abandoned their homes. Someone tampered with the looms, and is still attempting to change timelines according to their whims. It was nearly untraceable until the discovery of The Fraternity and that Sloan person. We are still cleaning up his messes, but it gave us a back trail to those that set Sloan on his path. That is why the Moirae along with us have gone undercover, so to speak."

"You can't just retrieve kids from their parents without setting off every 'Amber Alert' in the country." Eliot argued.

"In most cases that would be so," Urd agreed, "but only a few of these children are with their blood families. Those behind the tampering discovered the importance of these children and placed them in an 'orphanage' with humans who follow their tenets. We would return them to their families to continue the lives they were meant to live or if they cannot be returned, we have established a place where they can be safe."

Eliot's expression was doubtful. "After an ordeal like that you don't just go back to your old life. They are forever changed, forever changing that timeline. There is no correction unless you can go back to when they were abducted and stop it from happening. You can only go forward." He stated flatly.

The Elder Norn stared at the man standing in front of her still ready to walk out. She, Atropos and Morta had naively believed that once they found someone to return the children all would be well, but she knew Eliot was right. The best they could do was retrieve the children and strive to keep them on their proper path.

"Will you do this thing?"

"What're you doin' with the kids?" Eliot asked.

"That is Syn's project. Though many die on Midgard, few are worthy of the Valkyries taking them to Valhalla. They will care for the children. Many were taken as infants and have no memory of their birth families. We have acquired an estate that will serve our needs for the care of those we retrieve."

Once again Eliot closed his eyes. This was something he usually had to do on the fly. It wasn't often he got spend time watching the ebb and flow of the probabilities. He could only see the lines of those in close proximity, but at this moment it was enough.

Urd could feel Eliot's mind sifting the silken threads of the timelines through his mental fingers. She admired how the mind and body that could kill and maim moved so smooth and gently through the fragile weave. She could feel him waver. She gave him a final push.

"Please Eliot."

Blue/grey eyes snapped open.

"You over played your hand, but," He growled. "I'll do it for the kids and with the condition the team doesn't know."

"Agreed." She gave him a blinding smile as she tucked his thread back beneath her blouse. "Syn can give you the details you will need."

Though he was muttering to himself, Urd still heard the Manipulative old bat, Eliot grumbled as he left the loom room, but now she was curious as to why he did not want his friends to know what he was doing.

%%%%%

With Sophie gone and the rest of the team not warming to Tara, Nate became more selective about the jobs they took. It was good for Eliot since it allowed him time to work on retrieving the kids. When he found them out with one or two adults, or in a small group, he would make a grab, but some of the kids rarely left the compound where they were living. These must be the most important.

Security was lax. The smoke screen of the orphanage would keep most away, and the bureaucrats would be easy to con. The bad thing about grabbing a few kids here and there was it made whoever was running the show beef up security. It was merely an annoyance right now, but Eliot knew before long it would become deadly serious.

Pulling away from the team was easy with recon and planning. Time out of town watching the compound and going over blueprints plus keeping up with the faux orphanage's new security systems left little time to hang out at McRory's.

Eliot was feeling rather pleased about his progress of weaning himself away from the team. Nate falling off the wagon after they ran 'The Wire' on the Irish loan shark was a good excuse for not hanging around, and the others didn't seem to miss him.

He continued to congratulate himself right up to the time three sets of eyes turned and looked at him with the expectation of getting Nate and Maggie back from their kidnapper. Even Tara sided with him against Sterling.

The pin that let the air out of his balloon was when the phony psychic, Dalton Rand made Parker cry. Crying women usually annoyed him, but this was Parker and Parker never cried if she could stop it, so making the thief cry meant Rand had to die or barring that…suffer slowly…painfully.

%%%%%

Then there was no time for anything. Eliot was so busy trying to catch all the loose ends from Nate's impulsive changes in their plans that by the time he ushered the team into Sophie's helicopter, and gave the pilot directions as he watched Nate bleeding at Sterling's feet, he was near the end of his endurance.

The others muttered as the helicopter set down in what looked like a cow pasture. There was a short hike to a shed where he herded them into a dark colored SUV. Sophie and Hardison started to complain as Eliot moved through the deepening dusk without headlights. Parker sat quietly, shell-shocked by all that had happened in such a short time.

He didn't turn on the headlights until he got to where a few vehicles started to appear on the road. After driving for an hour, he turned into a drive. While they waited for the gates to open, Hardison began with complaints about being in the middle of nowhere with no modern conveniences, his allergies and being attacked by wild animals.

The car sat still long enough to ensure the gates closed and for Eliot to silence the hacker with a glare. He pulled the SUV into a garage and took a minute to rest his head on the steering wheel before climbing out of the car. It took that long for his bruises to loosen enough for him to move freely.

Settling his mind into a survival mode, he led what was left of the team across the yard. Once inside the renovated farm house, he took everyone to their rooms on the second floor while he returned to his rooms on the first floor.

A quick shower and clean clothes did wonders for the way he felt. Some food and he'd be ready to think about their next step.

Eliot had a light meal laid out by the time the others made their way back to the lower level. He heard Hardison's bouncing step as Parker slid down the banister and Sophie's more sedate descent.

"Hey Eliot, did you know there was a box of electronics and a connection that must have cost…" He looked up from the laptop he was carrying.

He looked at the others. Their clothes fit and were just their style-his room had been perfect with everything he needed to satisfy his geeky heart.

"Do y'all's rooms?..."

"Look like we did them ourselves." Sophie answered a little disturbed that Eliot knew them all so well.

Parker bounced over and hugged Eliot being careful of his left side.

After supper they scattered across the living room, Eliot settling on the couch before picking his glasses and a book off the end table. Sophie curled up in a window seat while Parker prowled the house like a cat sticking her nose into everything and Hardison pecked away on the laptop.

The quiet had started to settle into his bones as he studied the timelines behind the pretense of reading until…

"Eliot?…" Sophie started.

"Finally. I got into…" Then Hardison.

Eliot closed his book.

Parker perched on the arm of the couch.

"In a few days. We need to let Sterling, Interpol and the FBI finish pissin' in each others' puddles, and give Nate at least a week to start to heal. In the meantime we can rest and stay under the radar until things cool off."

With Hardison being able to monitor what was happening with everyone in Boston, they were satisfied take Eliot's advice. It was just when he gave it he didn't expect to wake up the next morning with Parker and Hardison having slipped into his bed.

The fact that his instincts didn't wake him was more than a little disturbing to the enforcer as he watched certain threads begin to weave together.

%%%%%

They spent two weeks in the country before going back to Boston. He dropped everyone at different locations before returning the SUV to the leasing company. Taking a cab to the airport, he boarded a plane to New York City.

He picked up a virtual reality project he'd had a hacker that was the closest thing to Hardison he could find, build for him then boarded a return flight to Boston. 'The Vulture', what was it with hackers and stupid code names, had wanted him to stay the night, but he really didn't want to deal with a pissy Hardison if he found out Eliot had 'cheated' on him by going to another hacker.

Lights were still on in Nate's windows when the cab dropped him at McRory's so he climbed the stairs up the back of the building to slip into 'his' apartment from the roof entrance. He stopped inside the door and let his senses reach into the space.

It 'felt' empty and held the smell of a place that had been closed up for an extended period of time. He made his way through each room, and when he had physically checked that the no one had been here since before they left he placed the bag he was carrying inside the floor safe under the bathroom cabinet.

Only then did he crack a beer and the living room windows to let out the stale air. Tossing his jacket over the back of the couch he sat down, put his feet on the coffee table after toeing off his boots, and relaxed for the first time since he climbed on the helicopter that carried them away from Nate.

%%%%%

While the other four changed Nate's from a one bedroom condo to an office with a bedroom in the loft, Eliot continued to gather information about the compound where the last eight children were still being held.

Apparently whoever was the money behind trying to influence the timelines had enough pull that they'd been able to purchase a portion of a World War II internment camp used for German-Americans near Ft. Devens, forty miles west of Boston. They erected a block wall around what was used as the main building with a chain link and concertina razor wire fence around the outer boundary.

%%%%%

They continued taking jobs though not with the frequency they did before Nate went to prison. Eliot was able to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble while giving him time to practice with the virtual reality program Sally built to get him back in the mindset of the days when he didn't know if Sloan was trying to train him or kill him. He still worked out with Syn, and The Wyrd Sisters finally quit trying to mother him.

He'd been able to retrieve three more kids, and was able to make a couple trips to the Connecticut estate where the Valkyries had taken on the task of getting the kids as close to their original timelines as possible.

%%%%%

Eliot was feeling good about the way his life was going. Hardison was attempting to woo Parker, who didn't have a clue. He'd still wake up occasionally with one or both of them in his bed, which led to what the hacker referred to as 'friends with bennies'. Though Eliot would never admit it, having the muscular body of Alec Hardison withering under his ministrations was as close to a 'normal' relationship as he ever expected to get, but it was also bittersweet because it would never go past the day Parker decided all she needed was Hardison.

They were sitting around the conference table ready to celebrate having Nate back with them when the mastermind dropped a bomb in the room. The hair on the back of his neck prickled when Nate told them about the Italian woman then uttered two words Eliot hoped to never hear again.

"We have six months to take down Damien Moreau or I'm headed back to prison."

%%%%%

He was worn to the bone. He could practically see the calendar in Nate's head counting down the days. Eliot spent his time between jobs away from McRory's. The shifting of the timelines as Nate concocted and discarded plans kept his brain too wired to allow him to sleep. The more the pressure mounted on Nate, the more Parker, Hardison, and even on occasion Sophie would seek sanctuary at The Factory, driving Eliot away from that small haven and into one of his safe houses outside Boston.

%%%%%

Hardison was feeling a different type of pressure. Sure Nate was putting the screws to them to find a way to get to Moreau, but that was cool. He'd been studying Nate's methods.

He'd watched Sophie run several of the jobs they'd picked up while Nate was in prison. She was good as long as things flowed smoothly, but if they started to go sideways, she had trouble improvising for more than herself.

Eliot...now Eliot had utterly surprised him. He knew the man played chess, but he had discounted the intelligence behind the scowl and flannel. Eliot always knew exactly where everyone was and what they were supposed to be doing plus could rework the whole plan while preaching the gospel according to Eliot at the same time.

Still Hardison wanted to be a mastermind like Nate right up to when he found out Nate had hypnotized him and he remembered Nate played to win no matter who he had to sacrifice. The hacker wasn't sure he could ever let go of the teachings of his Nana enough to be that ruthless.

The thing that was eating at him the worst was the fact he was having sex with Eliot while trying to coax Parker into falling in love with him. Everyone knew how he felt about Parker, but only Parker knew he was in a sexual relationship with Eliot. Hell, there'd been mornings when he'd wake up after Eliot had spent the night nailing his ass to the mattress to find Parker between them, Eliot's hand on his hip forming a connection between the trio. The hitter never acted like anything was out of the ordinary or that he expected anything other than what he was getting.

He still couldn't decipher Parker's thoughts, and wasn't sure what to make of the relationship of silence and nods the blonde had going with Eliot.

It had all been wonderful until this morning when he'd felt the mattress dip, and watched Eliot head for the bathroom. Parker had grumbled but settled when the graveled voice murmured quietly and petted her hair. Hardison played possum, careful not to let his breathing change while he watched their interactions through the screen of his lashes. He had started to drift back to sleep when Eliot returned, and simply stood looking down at them. What Alec Hardison saw on Eliot Spencer's face made the breath in his lungs freeze, and the scolding voice in his head that sounded so like his Nana, pump the volume so high, it crossed his mind that Eliot could probably hear it.

The only time he ever saw softness in the retrieval specialist's face was when he was talking to kids, but the softness Alec saw now as he looked down on them erased all signs the world's number one badass, and revealed the warrior's heart, if you were fortunate enough to be there when it happened.

%%%%%

"Something's wrong with Eliot."

Hardison looked around the office thinking Parker was talking to Nate. When he saw they were alone, he laid down his tablet and gave her his full attention.

"What?! How do you know?"

"He doesn't live anywhere anymore."

"We all change up occasionally. Eliot's always been more paranoid than most."

"It's not that. He's not at any of his places."

Hardison picked up his pad and pulled up Eliot's phone.

"Says he's upstairs."

Parker shook her head. "Already checked."

Next he tried to pull up the GPS for his truck, car and motorcycle. Still nothing.

"Did we do something wrong?"

Hardison laid down his pad and tugged on Parker's shirt tail until she moved into arms.

"No. He's been more intense than usual since Nate got back. The jobs have been pushin' you and him harder than any of us. Nate rushes in without thinkin' 'cause he knows Eliot's waitin' in the shadows to clean up the mess."

"I thought we were supposed to do the right thing. That sounds like Eliot's doing the wrong things."

"Maybe it's this thing with Moreau. He's some major bad news. Eliot's probably just worried about keepin' all that nastiness away from us."

%%%%%

Eliot's chest was heaving with the force of his breathing, but he was grinning maliciously at his opponent. Three hours they'd been going at each and he was just starting to tire. His frame had been pared down to muscle and sinew as he pinned his equally strong opponent to the mat.

"You're as ready as you're ever going to be, Little Brother." Syn grinned at the mortal.

"Yer probably right. I just have to squeeze the kids in between Nate's march toward Damien Moreau, and the fallout when they realize I'm still a bad guy."

"The children have waited this long. Six months cannot possibly make that much difference."

"That's that much more time they have to make it harder for me to get to them."

"Or they may relax their vigilance if there are no attacks for a time." Syn countered.

"Have you consulted Themself?" He pointed to the ceiling.

She gave him a hard look. "I do not need to consult them on a matter such as this when you can tell me what I need to know."

Scuffing his foot over the wood floor, Eliot blushed.

"They're doing what kids do." He frowned. "Live in the present. Fuck." He tossed his towel in the hamper as a thought occurred to him. "Can any of them…?" He wasn't exactly sure what to call what he could do.

"I understand they have talents of their own, such as high intelligence, though most are mundane. There is one or two who will be watched over by their physician who is Thor in his human guise, but that will not occur for several years." Syn assured him. "Our biggest worry right now is getting the children, then your role will be complete."

"I see the possibility of several endings in the next six months." Eliot muttered to himself as he headed for the shower. He was already putting plans in place for leaving Boston after they brought down Moreau. He had no doubt Nate would have a plan, the only question was who was going to be left standing when the plan was finished.

%%%%

"I don't like her." Parker stated flatly.

Sophie turned to look at Parker who was still dressed in her faux Lady Gaga costume. Hardison who had just shed the white fur coat that made him look more pimp than producer was just as confused.

"Don't like who?"

"That Kaye Lynn person. She wants to take Eliot…to sing with him." She flounced down on the couch in a flurry of yellow feathers.

"Eliot can't sing." Hardison assured her.

The two women looked at him like he'd lost his mind. He waved his hands at their expressions.

"Not what I meant. I meant...Eliot can't sing in public. If he's tellin' the truth and not just being paranoid, he's on the top of too many people's lists to be in the public eye."

"She might wanna keep him for her boy toy or something. Like that movie you made me watch-The Bodyguard."

Parker complained.

"Parker, what are you going on about?" Sophie asked as she dabbed the wine off her chin where it dribbled after she choked at Parker's words.

"Eliot. He's been acting all weird and stuff."

"Weird how?" Sophie cringed. What would be weird to Parker?

"He's always working out or on another job, and he never comes home."

Sophie and Hardison both looked pleased that Parker referred to McRory's as home, but Sophie couldn't imagine where Eliot found the time or the energy to take on outside jobs. Nate had been pushing them at a frantic pace, hardly giving Hardison time to clear up any leftover details that would land them all in a proper mess if care wasn't taken.

Parker's observations were forgotten in the midst of a militia with bombs, stealing trains, stealing cars and sending Nate's father to Ireland on freighter.

Neither Hardison nor Parker would let Eliot out of their sight after he and Hardison almost got blown up in the militia's camp.

%%%%%

The hacker had been waiting in Eliot's bed when the retrieval specialist came out of the bathroom, and before he could protest had him on the bed lips moving over scrapes and bruises like they were the cure for all his ills.

Never giving him time to protest, Hardison was soon lowering himself on Eliot's hard cock, setting a rhythm that would have done any carousel pony proud.

Eliot ran his hand over tight curls and a sweat sheened back as Hardison sprawled across his chest, exhausted from the day's adventures. As his softening penis slipped from the younger man's body, his heart stuttered when he realized they hadn't used a condom. As anal as Hardison was over everything, he couldn't begin to believe he'd forgotten.

With his line of work, he was on a regular schedule of testing. Between his own injuries and those he inflicted, he was as careful with making sure he didn't contract anything as he was with everything else in his life, but the… trust!?!?...Alec had shown this evening shook him to the core.

He gently rolled Hardison off him and went to the bathroom for a damp cloth to clean them up. They were no sooner settled then he felt the breeze of an open window as Parker oozed into the condo and crept into bed beside Hardison.

As he drifted into sleep he felt her slim fingers tangle into his.

%%%%%

"Have you noticed anything odd about Eliot?" Sophie asked Nate with a nonchalant tone.

"Eliot, no, why?" Nate asked as he refilled her coffee cup.

"He's been tense and a bit churlish of late."

Nate waved his hand in a dismissive motion. "He's got Damien Moreau built up into the Boogeyman. He's just the same as any other mark we've taken down."

"No, Nate he's not. You should listen to Eliot." She set her cup down with a thud. "You've trusted Eliot's judgement in the past, why won't you listen now?"

"Because it's my neck on the line if we don't get Moreau."

"That's where you're wrong. We back Moreau in a corner and we could all wind up dead."

"That's what we've got Eliot for…to make sure that doesn't happen." Nate chirped.

"Nate…"

"No. Sophie. If he doesn't like what I'm doing he can leave."

"You know Eliot won't leave. He's spent too long protecting us from ourselves and everyone else."

"Then I imagine we'll get to see which of us is right about Moreau."

"If we live that long." She snatched her coat and flounced out of the room.

Nate flinched as the door slammed. That went well. He rolled his eyes as he finished his coffee, and grabbed his coat. He still had Christmas shopping to finish.

%%%%%

Eliot watched as the cops hauled Chaos and his crew away. He hoped it was a long time before the little weasel saw the light of day again, but Chaos had such an obsession with Hardison that he'd probably be back before the newest gadgets was updated. Eliot feared he would one day have to kill the man after he pushed one time too far.

He sat in the condo, the only light coming from the spotlights outside the building. He stared at the Japanese sword Nate had given him as a Christmas gift. The man had said they were his family, and the sword sitting in its cradle was verification that it had been the truth.

As he stared at the exquisite sword along with the other gifts the team had given him, he had to fight the compulsion to call everyone and tell them the truth about everything. He didn't…He wanted to hold on to this…to Hardison and Parker…this twisted little family, just a little while longer. He closed his eyes and saw the strands twisting together, tangling into a knot then-nothing. He typed out a simple text.

%%%%%

Smell was the first thing that caught the ancient warrior's attention. She didn't keep her position as the gatekeeper by being lax and unobservant. She lay in darkness adding her other senses to the wonderful smells that wafted through the huge building.

There was only ever one mortal that had the ability to sneak around her, and she knew for a fact she would be tempted to remain on Midgard just for his cooking alone-so she completed her usual routine before making her way to the kitchen to find Eliot surrounded by an array of food in various stages of preparation.

Spying the coffee pot, Syn poured herself a cup before availing herself to a bar stool out of the war zone. Still savoring that first sip, a plate landed unceremoniously under her nose. She looked from the plate to Eliot, but he was wrist deep in something or other.

As soon as she finished, Eliot barked out the number of guests and shooed her off to prepare the dining room. When she thought he wasn't paying attention, Syn slipped away to talk with the Sisters. They in turned retired to the loom to watch as the tapestry continued its weave.

"Can we…?" Verthandia reached for Urd's arm as her eyes pleaded with the Elder.

"There has been enough tampering. It must play out as it will. Only they can change the outcome." Urd tone was quiet, but final. "This is his gift. We will carry ourselves as is befitting our status, and give the honor that is deserved for such service."

The younger sisters knew Urd was not just speaking of dinner so left the Elder to go prepare for whatever might come.

%%%%%

He cut himself off from everyone after his Christmas dinner, but Nate had kept everyone so busy no one noticed. What time they weren't on a job he spent studying the best way in and out of the internment camp. He nearly had everything in place.

With spring fast approaching and Nate's time running out things would happen fast. When the Italian gave Nate the information on Moreau Eliot wasn't surprised. He'd had eyes on Moreau for the past month and knew exactly where the man was, what women he had with him, and how many men. The one bright spot in this whole mess would be the opportunity for ending Chapman. The continuing existence of the man acted like a splinter festering under his skin ever since Belgrade.

%%%%%

The walk from the Moreau's hotel to the park was made in silence. Eliot could feel the anger and betrayal oozing from Hardison's pores. He ignored the younger man as they came to a stop in front of the others.

"Tell them what you did, Eliot." Hardison's words were enunciated, sharp.

"We're in." Eliot looked from Parker to Nate.

"You risked MY life. Tell them what you did."

"Moreau's gonna give me the details of the auction tomorrow." He hooked his thumbs in his pockets like it was a normal day, and Hardison hadn't nearly drown.

"Why's he going to give you the details?" Sophie questioned.

Hoping to intimidate the grifter away from her questions, he let the reins slip on his anger.

"I said…we're in. Just make the plan."

"Eliot worked for Moreau back in the day…a lot. TELL." His tone sounded like Eliot was something he scraped off his shoe.

The betrayal on the hacker's face added to Eliot's. They had pushed him into this corner, The Norns, Nate, The Italian, and like any cornered animal he wouldn't go down without a fight. The tangle of threads were still snarled in his mind so he reached for two-Moreau and Chapman-the cause of the stain on his soul and the pain in his heart, and mentally pulled. The threads fell back into place. Killing Moreau and Chapman became his new goal.

He watched Nate stand and prepared himself for the holier than thou that often came with working with a man who'd almost become a priest.

"We've been chasing Moreau for six months and you didn't tell us?"

"Because I was trying to find a way around this. Alright" Eliot growled.

"Because what?" Nate tried to shout him down.

"Maybe take my shot!" Eliot was having no parts of it. Nate might be the master mind, but he was the alpha of this pack.

"Because you maybe were trying to protect him?" Nate sneered.

"I was protecting YOU!" Eliot snarled. "Alright. Last time I checked that's my job!"

"Look. We can handle Moreau." Nate tried to brush him off, but he refused to hold Eliot's glare.

"We're out of our league, Nate." He could see the mastermind's win at all costs demon raise its head, but he glared it back down.

Eliot pulled out his ace card. Catholic guilt.

"You think you know me-think you know what I've done? The worse thing I ever did, I did for Damien Moreau," He watched the blue eyes widen, "and I'll never be clean of that."

Bingo.

Parker bless her twisted little heart might be crazy as a shithouse rat, but she understood survival at all costs. Of course Sophie had to try and smooth out the lumps, but the look in Alec's eyes told Eliot, the curtain had been pulled back and after three years he saw the real Eliot. The man with blood covered hands and few qualms about how it had gotten there.

He stayed in the warehouse long enough to make sure the guns were clean of his prints and that the fire would take care of cleaning up the bodies. He grabbed one of the cars sitting outside and headed for the airport.

Of course there was Nate poking the rattlesnake with stick. Moreau's eyes widened when he saw Eliot charging across the hangar. Grabbing his pistol Moreau shot the Italian, but Eliot wasn't stopping. His only goal in life was to wrap his hands around Moreau's head and twist until the shift of bones told him Moreau was dead.

When someone stopped him a few feet short of his goal, he turned with murder in his eye until Nate shouting his name cut through the tangle of threads and one possible solution for untangling most of the knots.

"Eliot, NO! I've got other plans for him!" Nate ran to the woman withering in pain on the floor.

He watched as the plane taxied for the runway, gunpowder and worthless promises tasted like ash on his tongue.

"ELIOT!" Nate demanded his attention again.

With a derisive snort, Eliot pulled off his holster and wadded up his shirt to use as a pressure bandage for the Italian's gunshot.

He didn't wait to be told, he moved the few things he had in the condo over McRory's to one of his other places, and only showed up at Nate's when he was called. Not one word was said about his past with Moreau, but he could practically feel their questions.

Before anyone worked up the nerve to ask questions, they watched Moreau's men take away General Flores while Moreau taunted Eliot. The expression on Eliot's face made them all back up except Nate, who had no sense of self-preservation. Sophie moved to insert herself between the men-she was almost certain Eliot wouldn't hurt a woman-but Eliot grabbed his jacket and left without a word to anyone.

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With Damien Moreau behind bars, Eliot was anxious to get back to the States. There were five kids he still needed to retrieve and the two months they'd agreed to scatter would be the perfect time. He was in the condo they'd adjoined to Nate's as a work/workout room gathering the last of his things when Hardison had come into the room looking like an errant school boy.

Eliot continued packing while he ignored the fidgeting.

"Eliot, man…you know I've been…" He waved his arms in a gesture of helplessness. "…and it's been great, but I got the thing…with the pretzels…and it's not right…you know…me and you…"

Having no patience with Hardison trying to cut things off without hurting his feelings was annoying.

"I get it. You're takin' a run on Parker and you don't want me fuckin' ya anymore."

"NO! Well yes…but…it's not…it wasn't…" The younger man stammered even worse.

Eliot swung the duffel over his shoulder and forced Hardison out of the doorway.

"Yeah-well-if I was you I wouldn't want my hands on me either." Eliot mumbled over his shoulder.

All Hardison could do was stare at the door. Eliot had gotten it all wrong. The hacker hadn't thought he was being fair by having a physical relationship with him while he was emotionally tangled up in Parker. That the hitter thought his past with Moreau was the reason…

Alec sprinted to the top floor of the building. He had planned on coming up later when he was sure Eliot was out to gather up the bits and pieces that get scattered around when you're sleeping with someone, but as he came through the door he was already scanning the room. All that was left was his bits and pieces; it was Eliot's presence that was gone.

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Eliot was comfortably ensconced into the blind he built to watch the former internment camp. He'd weakened the outer fence in several places that were rarely patrolled, and if they were checked, the modifications would be attributed to animals attempting to gain access to the camp's trash.

He had schedules memorized; he'd watched the security people. The rarely did any physical training or sparring, were lazy about walking the perimeter and sometimes dozed off in the middle of their shift. It seemed they truly had relaxed in the six months since he'd made the last retrieval.

The children were kept together and ranged from ages seven and younger. He would have to contact Syn to get a couple of the Valkyries from the Connecticut estate to carry the kids out while he covered their escape. Sunday was going to be the day. Many of the adults went into town to attend church leaving the children with only a few caretakers.

A shadow moving through the woods, he could have reached out and touched the heavily pregnant doe nibbling spring's tender shoots, but he left her to her breakfast as he headed back to his camp.

As always Eliot stopped at the tree line. Splitting his attention he looked inward checking the lines of probability flowing through his mind as his other senses checked his physical surroundings.

"What are you doing here, Syn?" He asked quietly.

Startled, the warrior spun while reaching for her weapon.

"Eliot! I see you still skulk around like one of Hel's hounds." She practically snarled to hide her fright.

"In the middle of something. What do you want?" Though his tone was brusque, he set about fixing a meal for them both.

"Nathan Ford came to speak with Themself, yesterday." She watched his reaction. Seeing none, she continued. "Said he needed you for a job at the base camp at Mt. Kibari, Alaska. Wanted me to give you this."

Syn handed him a phone. Then she handed him an envelope. Inside were case details, the battery and sim card for the phone. Eliot gave her a small smile of thanks.

He sat and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I was going after the kids, Sunday. I need Bryn and a couple others to carry the kids."

"I'll give them a call. How long do you think your case will take?" She indicated the file as she dug her spoon into the stew Eliot had prepared.

Reading while he ate, he did some quick calculations using the flight information in the file. He could be at base camp by early tomorrow…a day maybe two for the job…fly back and still grab the kids on Sunday.

His camp was soon packed. He settled the backpack in place and followed Syn back to her car.

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Part 3