Celtic Flicka's LJ

New fic new fic new fic new fic!

2014-03-30T01:06:17Z

Just to make sure none of you VM diehards miss it: One of my favorite Veronica Mars fic writers, Madame Librarian, has just finished one of her WIPs that she started back during season 2! It was so fun to re-read the old chapters and then keep reading through the end.

Here's the link to the last chapter--links to chapters 1-6 appear at the top of the page. Go read!

HOLY SHIT, YOU GUYS

2013-03-13T15:02:40Z

Despite my long-standing doubt that it would, it looks like THIS IS HAPPENING:

Rob Thomas is funding the VM movie through Kickstarter.

Even if you can't be a backer, you must watch the video on the KS page.

Down the rabbit hole... again.

2012-08-15T18:25:24Z

I thought I might have escaped the pull of fic--I was still enjoying reading some, but it wasn't the obsession it once was. Today I discovered Peter/Olivia fic. Sigh... Would it be terrible if I skipped the gym and the grocery store and just let my kids watch TV all day while I read Peter/Olivia? Yeah, that would probably be bad.

Most of fic recs I've gotten so far are from het_reccers. Point me to the Fringe comms, people!

Meme time!

2012-03-30T04:37:49Z

Snagged from havemy_heart and pegm81484.

1. What book are you currently reading:
About to finish Naked by David Sedaris. Probably going to start Legend by Marie Lu after that.

2. What is the last movie you watched?:
Beginners--great acting, so-so- script.

3. Three Favourite shows this tv season:
Leverage, Once Upon A Time, Revenge

4. Three least favourite shows this tv season:
Two Broke Girls (already dropped), Smash (already dropped), Ringer (probably going to drop soon)

5. Three Things you are looking forward to this year:
New nephew being born, finishing a manuscript draft (I hope!), new job for the mister

6. If you could be presented with any meal right now, what would you want?
I could go for pizza.

7. Five favourite Male Actors:
Hmm... I'll just go with TV actors to narrow down the list: David Tennant, John Krasinski, Jim Parsons, Christian Kane, Zachary Levi

8. Five favourite Female Actors:
From TV: Beth Riesgraf, Lana Parilla, Tina Fey, Emilia Clarke, Stana Katic

9. What is one trait about yourself you like?:
I have an excellent visual memory.

10. Best movie from the 80s:
The Princess Bride

11. Favourite flavour of ice cream:
Haagen-Dazs coffee and Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra

12. Least favourite food:
Seafood

13. Least favourite and most favourite subject in school:
Least favorite: Chemistry
Most favorite: English lit

14. Where you in any clubs or sports teams in high school?:
Newspaper, drama, and I was on the softball team freshman year.

15. Favourite band:
Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Dixie Chicks, The Who... the list is much too long.

16. Last CD you bought or last song you downloaded:
Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"

17. Favourite activity:
Reading, seeing movies with friends, watching TV, knitting

18. Favourite place you've visited:
Ireland

19. Fears?:
Anything bad happening to my kids

20. Favourite chip flavour:
Plain Ruffles

21. Someone hands you a plane ticket, where do you want to be going:
Hawaii or Botswana

22. What one thing have you had for a long time:
My Raggedy Ann from when I was a baby. She's very raggedy.

23. Favourite series when you were a teen:
Fame

24. Tattoos...yay or nay?:
None, but I've thought about it.

25. What are you going to do after this:
Go to bed.

Here be dragons

2012-02-25T22:50:52Z

Thank you to pegm81484 and havemy_heart for the blue dragons! It's been a really horrible week, so I especially appreciate the cheer.

Also, they remind me of my favorite quote, from G.K. Chesterton, which pretty much sums up everything I love about the fantasy genre:

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

ETA: Not that I want to kill the little blue dragons, just... you all know what I mean. :)

Chuck is getting a renewal!

2011-05-11T23:30:09Z

Ausiello's spies have said so!

Leverage Fic: Complacence (Eliot, team) PG

2010-12-30T21:17:17Z

Title: Complacence
Characters: Eliot, team
Word Count: ~2,000
Rating: PG
Summary: He was getting hurt a lot more often, and no one seemed to notice.
Spoilers: Nothing specific, although the idea for this came from the episodes at the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3.
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This was written as a gift for the leverage_sesa exchange for inspired_looney.

Thanks to zaftig_darling for betaing! Feedback is appreciated.

~*~*~*~*~

The team had grown complacent. Reckless. They were so sure that Eliot would always save them, always risk his own safety for theirs, that they didn't even bother with their usual precautions anymore.

He expected to get hurt sometimes--it came with the job. But he was supposed to be the last resort, the guy who came in when all the other strategies failed, not the first line of defense.

Lately though, hitting seemed to be his only role in the cons. He used to get more chances to play a character--a professor, a doctor, a businessman--and he liked that part. He was good at it. But there was no finesse in his work anymore. He just punched his way through security so the others could get in and do their work.

As a result, he was getting hurt a lot more often, and no one seemed to notice. Or maybe they just didn't care, as long as their own skins were saved.

This job wasn't going to involve any hitting, which made him glad at first, but then he realized that it meant he'd have no role in the con at all. Well, he was sitting in the van with Sophie and Hardison, keeping an eye on the warehouse to make sure the mark's men didn't leave, but that task certainly didn't require all three of them. Eliot wished he'd just taken the night off.

Nate and Parker were across town, breaking into the mark's office. Their occasional reports were the only thing keeping Eliot awake, so finally, he'd gotten out of the van to stretch his legs and get his blood moving again.

As he strode down the sidewalk, Parker gave another update, beginning yet another round of cutesy banter.

"OK, I'm through the first door and on my way to the office. This new codebreaker is really cool, Hardison!" she squealed.

"All for you, Parker. You just do your thing, girl."

With a snarl and an eye roll, Eliot had snatched the comm out of his ear and jammed it into his pocket. Moments later, he'd been knocked out by a jolt of electricity through his body.

That shouldn't have happened. He was usually always on high alert. Maybe he was getting complacent too, Eliot thought as he pulled futilely at the ropes holding him to the metal chair.

Sophie and Hardison probably didn't even realize he'd been captured, although that was probably a good thing, Eliot decided. Just his luck that the only teammates nearby were the ones who couldn't fight. Nate wasn't afraid to use a weapon and Parker could put the hurt on a person when she wanted to, but Hardison still couldn't throw a decent punch (despite Eliot's best efforts to teach him) and Sophie? She could break a nail. Once again, the saving was going to be all up to Eliot.

His left shoulder--the one that had been ripped through by a Serbian sniper bullet years earlier--was sore nearly all the time now, but today had been one of the rare days that it didn't hurt. Of course, that would be over as soon as he saw the opportunity to take a swing at one of the armed men guarding him.

At least Eliot had remembered to restock the cold packs in the van's first aid kit. He was going to need them later. He knew he could take out four guys, but it would take a toll on his body. The men paced and muttered softly to each other as Eliot watched them closely, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses and devising his fighting strategy while he slowly worked at the knots binding his wrists.

"Where is your boss?" Sophie's angry voice echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse and Eliot's heart sank.

The four men all pointed their weapons in her direction as she strode into the light.

"Who are you?" one demanded.

"I'm Annie Kroy, and this is my...associate," she said, gesturing to Hardison, who appeared at her side, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

The gold chains around the hacker's neck told Eliot that he was playing the role of her bodyguard, which he usually found pretty funny--but that was only because Eliot was available to be the actual muscle if something went wrong.

"And what's going on here?" she asked, motioning toward Eliot. "What kind of operation is this? If this is how you do things..."

"You're not supposed to be in here," said the shortest man, who actually looked the most menacing of the bunch. He took a few steps toward them, still pointing his gun at Hardison, who stood up straight to emphasize his greater height.

"You didn't answer my question," Sophie said coldly. "Mr. Pulaski is supposed to be here. We had a deal."

"He didn't say anything to us about a deal. Or about you."

Hardison tsk-tsked. "Wow, that really sucks for you," he said with a chuckle. "You ain't gonna get paid."

Sophie gave him a nudge as though he shouldn't have said anything.

"What do you know about Mr. Pulaski's business?" said one of the other gunmen, who had been watching Eliot but was now directing all of his attention toward Hardison and Sophie. It was the perfect chance to strike, but Eliot still couldn't free his hands or feet. He growled under his breath in frustration.

"That's none of your concern," Sophie said. "I don't want to get involved with whatever you've got going on with your prisoner here. Just tell me where I can find your boss."

The men began to argue softly. Sophie was throwing them off-balance, shifting their focus away from her primary goal. It was what she did best, but Eliot still didn't know how she'd distract all four long enough to get them out of this mess.

Then Eliot noticed that while Hardison's hands were tucked under his crossed arms, he was holding his phone--and carefully pushing the buttons with his thumb.

The short man's phone rang and he answered it.

"Yes, Mr. Pulaski, I'm glad you... but we have... OK, but... Yes, we'll be there. Yes, sir... OK, on our way." He clicked his phone shut and turned to the others. "He needs us at the office."

"What about them?" asked another man, waving his gun at Sophie, Hardison, and Eliot.

"I didn't get a chance to ask, but we can't just leave them here." The short man thought for a moment, then pointed at one of his compatriots. "You and me'll go to the office. You two stay here and watch them. I'll ask Mr. P. what he wants to do with them and then call you."

Two would be more manageable, Eliot thought, although he noticed Hardison's shoulders slump slightly as only two of the gunmen left the warehouse. He pulled at the ropes again, but the attempt made the chair scrape loudly against the concrete floor.

"Keep an eye on him too," the short man warned just before leaving.

When they were gone, Sophie directed an annoyed expression toward the remaining guards but didn't say anything. She sighed loudly, letting the silence grow more uncomfortable.

"So what's this about us not getting paid?" one of them finally asked.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Sophie said, with a glance at Hardison. "He's just a bodyguard."

The man lowered his weapon. "Tell us what you know," he said. "We can share information."

Sophie appeared to consider the offer.

"If there's a chance that he's scamming us, he could be scamming you too..." the man continued.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt... All right, we have a deal," Sophie said. "Come over here though--we don't need to share with the whole class." She shot a look in Eliot's direction.

As Hardison, Sophie, and the two guards moved away from him, Eliot struggled again to escape. The ropes dug painfully into his skin, but he couldn't get them loose enough to release his hands.

"The word on Pulaski is..." Sophie whispered. Her mark leaned in closer to hear her and she rested a delicate hand on his shoulder. Then in one swift motion, she pulled him toward her and bashed his forehead with hers and he dropped to the floor.

Before his partner could react, Hardison pulled his fist back and swung, making contact with the man's cheekbone. It wasn't a perfect hit, but Hardison remembered to follow through as Eliot had taught him, and his long reach sent the man spinning before he collapsed in a heap.

"Goddamn! That hurts!" Hardison cradled his hand, curling his body around it. "How do you do that?"

"Practice," Eliot replied dryly. "We gotta get out of here. There's a knife on my left ankle."

Sophie and Hardison jogged toward him and Sophie put a hand to the comm in her ear. "We've got Eliot ... Are you hurt?" she asked, directing her last comment to Eliot. He shook his head. "No, he's fine. We're on our way out."

Hardison slid his fingers into the side of Eliot's boot and slowly pulled out a throwing knife with a six-inch, serrated blade. He laughed incredulously.

"Holy shit, Eliot. You sat here, hogtied, and you had this meat cleaver on you the whole time?"

"Yeah, the irony is hilarous. Cut the ropes."

As Hardison sawed, Sophie spoke into her comm again. "He's fine, Parker, I promise..." She nodded to Eliot. "She's worried about you."

"I'm OK!" Eliot called out, loud enough to be heard through the others' earpieces. "My comm's just in my pocket, and Hardison is taking a long time getting me untied."

"Hey--my right hand is swelling up like a balloon, and this is a ridiculously sharp knife," Hardison groused. "Would you rather I risked slicing off a finger?"

"Mine or yours?"

"You know, I could just take this machete and leave your ass here--"

"Boys!" Sophie said sharply. "Our friends here could wake up at any moment. Can we bicker later?"

"Hey, what about Nate and Parker? Those guys were headed to Pulaski's office," Eliot noted.

"They were done before we came in here," Sophie said. "When you didn't respond to their report that they were out, we knew something was wrong."

"So Sophie came up with an act while I programmed the fake phone call using those recordings you and Parker stole the other day."

The ropes at Eliot's wrists finally fell away and he took the knife from Hardison to cut the bindings at his ankles.

"Eliot! Your wrists!" Sophie cried.

He inspected the bloody abrasions where the ropes had torn the skin. "If that's the worst of it, then I got off easy," he said with a shrug. "How about you? That was a serious hit. I'm impressed."

"You're not the only hitter on the team, you know," she replied, with a toss of her hair that revealed a reddening bruise on her forehead. "And it's not the first time I've done that."

Eliot made short work of the last ropes and he jumped up, bouncing on the balls of his feet, glad to be able to move again. When he glanced around to make sure they weren't leaving anything important, he saw Hardison wincing as he tried to move his hand, which did look bigger than normal. Maybe they were tougher than he'd given them credit for.

"Let's go," Eliot said, leading his teammates back out of the warehouse. "I've got some cold packs in the van, and you're gonna need 'em."

~FIN~

Happy Festivus everyone!

2010-12-24T15:32:47Z

... or Merry Whatever-You-May-Celebrate. :)

VM Redux Christmas special!

2010-12-16T14:35:52Z

VM Fic: Voices (Logan/Veronica, Keith) light R

2010-10-16T18:58:02Z

Title: Voices
Characters: Logan/Veronica, Keith
Word Count: ~1,400
Rating: Light R
Summary: The voices from his past don’t know what they’re talking about anymore.
Spoilers: For the series.
Disclaimer: If Rob Thomas lets me borrow them, they will be returned in their current pristine condition.
Note 1: This is for the Logan/Veronica Futurefic Character Challenge for the last round :( at vmfic_gameon.
Note 2: Thanks to zaftig_darling for the beta!

~*~*~*~

It was four minutes before the alarm when Logan woke up. He lay in bed, unmoving, staring at the digital display. There had been plenty of mornings in his life that he dreaded getting out of bed—including a few where he couldn’t actually bring himself to pull off the covers.

Mister Logan? You mamá, she still in bed, but she say to wake you up for school.

Dude! You fucking puked in my car again. I don’t care about your hangover—get out here and clean it up.

Logan! Get up, you lazy shit. Go to my office. Now.

He still didn’t want to get up most mornings, but now it was because of the petite blonde currently nestled against his back, with her arm thrown sloppily over his shoulder.

It had taken some time to get used to the fact that she was there every night when he went to sleep and every morning when he woke up. It would take him a moment to clear his sleep-induced fog and remind himself that the girl in his bed was really there.

But these days, the only thing that seemed strange was the rare occasion that she wasn’t sleeping next to him, having fallen asleep at her computer or at her dad’s place. Though he wasn’t going to bother dozing off for the two remaining minutes, Logan laid as still as possible, not wanting to wake her before the alarm officially went off—Veronica didn’t like being awakened until absolutely necessary.

The numbers clicked by slowly, 58… 59… 00…beep! Logan let the alarm sound for a few seconds before clicking it off. He heard Veronica wake with an ornery growl and he rolled over to face her.

“G’morning, sunshine” he said, kissing her nose.

“Ugh,” she groused without opening her eyes. “Do we have to get up?”

“You’re the one who said we’d be there at 9.”

“I’m an idiot. Tell me that next time I make plans before noon, OK?”

“Yeah, that’ll happen.”

This is the moment, Logan, right now, where it's just done. You’re out of my life forever.

I just came by to give you your stuff that I had at my house. Here.

Your t-shirt? I have no idea. I thought I told you not to call me.

Veronica stretched with a sigh, pressing her hands up against the headboard and pointing her toes to loosen every muscle. Logan ran his hand down her side, from her rib cage, over the curve of her hip, and back up again; he loved the feel of her body under the soft, light blue t-shirt that she’d borrowed from him years earlier and never returned, even when they had broken up.

Logan’s fingers crept under the hem of the shirt, brushing gently against the smooth skin of her inner thigh.

“Mmm… we don’t have time for that,” she murmured, half-heartedly pushing his wandering hand away.

He put his lips close to her ear and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Is that a challenge?”

She smiled, her eyes still closed. “I didn’t intend it that way, but—” Her words left her as he stroked her between her legs. “Oh God…” she sighed, her breathing already quickening.

A short time later, Logan was dragging a sated, limp Veronica out of their bed. “I don’t think my legs work anymore…” she groaned.

“Hey, I did my part to keep us on time,” Logan teased. “If you don’t get up now, we’re gonna have to come up with a good lie about why we’re late.”

They made their way to the shower, and Logan set the water temperature the way she liked it. He turned to get the shampoo and let the hot stream run down his back.

Go pick out a belt.

Cigarette burns and broken noses. Oh, the stories you used to tell.

Sweetheart, you need to try harder to stay out of his way! Don’t make him mad…

For a long time, Logan had avoided letting Veronica see his bare back. She knew about the scars, and he wasn’t ashamed of them anymore. He knew they made her sad, though, and he didn’t want to reflect on that time of his life anymore. But the scars had faded over the years, and now were barely visible at all, even up close, so it was rare that he even thought about them.

Veronica soaped up his back, and he tilted his head into the falling water, wishing he had time to take her back into their bedroom to spend the morning there. Then her hands glided down his spine and around his waist. She grasped him gently but firmly, and he quickly grew hard under her slippery, soapy fingers. His knees almost buckled and he pressed his hands against the tile for support as she sped up her movements.

“OK, now we are officially running late,” Veronica said later as she dried herself off.

“I don’t think I can make myself care about that right now,” Logan replied with a cocked eyebrow. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her naked body against his. “Let’s blow it all off. Cancel all our plans and just stay in bed today.”

See me after class, both of you. I'll tell you where to report for detention.

Suspended again, little brother? Dad is gonna be pissed.

I don’t understand the problem here, Logan. I know you can write, but you barely try. These grades are not going to get you into college.

Veronica kissed him chastely. “My dad is probably already on his way to the restaurant, and you need to get at least some of that data crunched today if you’re going to meet with your committee tomorrow.”

Logan slumped dramatically, dragging his feet as they returned to the bedroom to get dressed. “Sometimes I miss the days when I didn’t feel guilty about blowing off schoolwork.”

“Yeah, that system really worked well for you.”

“But I got into psych to figure out my own crap. Nobody warned me there’d be so much math.”

“Wah, wah, wah. I’m going to be spending the day cropping and Photoshopping, so you’re not getting any sympathy here.”

They hurried out the door, and somehow managed to get to the café just a few minutes behind schedule. Keith Mars greeted them with a big grin and hugs.

“How’s school coming, Logan?” he asked as they settled into their booth.

“Well, I’m on a first-name basis with the staff at the science library, and I’ve heard they’re going to put a commemorative plaque on the ass-print I’ve left in one of the chairs there.”

“Just a few more months,” Keith replied with a chuckle.

There had been a time when Logan had a hard time being around Keith. Not when things were rocky with Veronica—Logan could deal with an angry father. It was when things were good. Whenever he watched Keith and Veronica joke around affectionately, all he could hear was his father’s voice in his head, telling him he was worthless… stupid… unloved… His emotions ricocheted between jealousy and simply feeling left out.

Then one evening at the Mars’ apartment, he was stirring the sauce for dinner, and as Keith scooted past him in the tiny kitchen, he clapped him on the back. It was an offhand gesture—Keith probably hadn’t given it a thought—but that clap made Logan suddenly see how different his present and future were from his past.

Oh, stop with the ‘Mr. Mars’—you’re making me feel old. Call me Keith.

Sure, I’ll write you a letter of recommendation. I’m glad you decided to apply to our program.

I love you, too, Logan. Good night.

Logan no longer flinched when someone touched him unexpectedly. He wasn’t tense around Veronica anymore, always afraid of saying or doing something to piss her off and send her running. He hadn’t been drunk in… he couldn’t remember how long. He had some ideas for what he wanted to do with his life. Somehow, things had changed, drastically, but the changes were so gradual that he hadn’t even seen them happening.

Sometimes, when his mind drifted, he’d think about how and when his life had turned around, but he knew there wasn’t one specific answer.

A waitress dropped a fork and snapped him out of his reverie, which he appreciated, since he really wanted to listen to Veronica’s next words.

“Dad, we have an announcement to make.”

~FIN~

Leverage Fic: The Apple, Epilogue (Eliot, Aimee, Hardison, Parker, OFC) PG

2010-10-06T15:14:37Z

Title: The Apple, Epilogue
Characters: Eliot, Aimee, team, OFCs
Word Count: ~980
Rating: PG
Summary: Time to go home.
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is the epilogue to “The Apple” (which was originally intended to be a one-shot ficlet, heh). Feedback is appreciated! Previous parts can be found here:

Prologue
Chapter One: Spencer
Chapter Two: Eliot
Chapter Three: Dad
Chapter Four: Family

~*~*~*~

Justice moved quickly in the rural Kentucky county, since they didn’t see many criminal cases, so it was less than a week before the kidnappers stood trial. Kidnapping wasn’t one of the charges they were facing, however; their pro bono attorney, "Jimmy Papadakolis," wisely suggested that they not tell how they’d really gotten beaten up, because it would mean confessing to a much greater crime than drug dealing.

Eliot wanted to attend the trial, but had to settle for listening to Nate-as-Jimmy skirt a contempt-of-court charge over comms. It ended up being fun—Parker made popcorn and they all gathered in the living room to listen together while Spencer was at school. Hardison had even thought to bring extra earbuds so that Aimee and Willie could hear the proceedings too.

Thanks to a long list of priors, only some of which had been made up by Hardison, as well as the obnoxious courtroom antics of Mr. Papadakolis, Spencer’s kidnappers were quickly found guilty and given the maximum sentence.

After staying a few more days so the team could dote on their “adopted” niece, it was time to return to Boston for the next job they’d lined up. As the sun rose over the stables, Eliot loaded luggage into the cars, while Parker and Spencer danced to some horrifically high-pitched, perky pop music. Hardison limped out of the house carrying the hard-shell cases that contained his computer equipment.

“Come on, Hardison, dance with us!” Parker shouted.

“First of all, this black man does not dance to Justin Bieber,” Hardison explained. “Secondly, my back is killing me from sleeping on the floor.”

“I told you I’d take the floor,” Parker said as she grabbed his hand and tried to twirl him. “I can sleep anywhere.”

“One of you should just stay in my dad’s room,” Spencer said, waving her arms in the air. “He usually sleeps in my mom’s room anyway.”

As Spencer continued to dance, oblivious, Hardison and Parker both froze in place and then turned to look at Eliot. A smirk slowly spread across Parker’s face.

“Ooooooo…” Hardison began.

“None a’ your business,” Eliot snarled. “Keep twirlin’.”

At that moment, Aimee emerged from the front door. “Eliot, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Please,” Eliot said, ignoring his teammates’ teasing expressions as he jogged to catch up with Aimee, who was heading for the stables.

The building was quiet except for the occasional shifting of horses’ feet, but Aimee still glanced around to make sure they were alone.

“So… um…” she began. “You know Spencer misses you… a lot… when you leave.”

“I miss her too,” he said, knowing that they weren’t only talking about their daughter.

“So have you ever thought, you know, about… not leaving?” Aimee asked as she crossed her arms in front of her body.

“Yeah!” Eliot replied. “Yeah, of course I have. I wish I could, but… I can’t right now.”

Her face fell but she recovered quickly. “Is this about the team? I know, they’re like your family now…”

Eliot reached for her and held her shoulders in his hands. “You and Spence are my family too. Don’t ever think otherwise. It’s just… the jobs. It’s something I have to do.”

“It’s more important to help total strangers than to be here for your daughter?” she asked, more hurt than angry.

“No, that’s not it.” He dropped his hands and took a few steps back, not wanting to look her in the eye. “When I was gone, all those years, I did some things… There’s a lot I need to make up for.”

Aimee nodded. “I knew you seemed different before. But I thought maybe things had changed.”

“They have,” he said, kicking at a small pile of straw with his boot. “”But I need to do more.. before I can be the person I want to be for her. And for you.”

She walked over to him and pushed a strand of hair away from his face. “OK,” she said softly. “I don’t want to push you if you think you’re not ready. But we’ll be here when you are.”

He tilted his head down and kissed her lightly. “Thank you.”

“Eliot!” Nate bellowed from the driveway. “Let’s go!”

Eliot took Aimee’s hand and left the stable to join the others. “Oh, and Spencer knows about… us,” he added.

Aimee slapped her other hand against her forehead. “Oh, God. What did you tell her?”

“I didn’t say anything. I thought this was one of those mom-daughter type of conversations,” he said with a smirk.

“Eliot…”

“Whoa—it’s getting late! We’d better get to the airport!” he said loudly, dropping her hand as they came into view of their families.

As usual, Spencer said goodbye to everyone else first, saving her dad for last. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her off the ground.

“I’ll be back in a couple of weeks,” he said. “You and I have to make those cakes for the bake sale at school.”

“I know,” Spencer said. “But I wish you didn’t have to go until then. I wish you could be here all the time.”

“So do I, darlin’. And I’m workin’ on it,” he said. He put her down and cupped her face in his hands to make sure she was listening. “Someday soon, but not yet.”

The team piled into their cars and rolled down the drive. Eliot watched out the back window as Spencer waved, jumping up and down, in the distance.

Real soon, he said to himself.

~ FIN ~

Hunger Games fic rec

2010-10-05T23:31:37Z

Since I know there are a few Hunger Games readers here, I had to rec this fic: Foxglove by archerastar . Don't read it if you haven't read the whole series yet--it contains spoilers for Mockingjay, and you need to have read the first two books also to truly appreciate this.

It's pre-series, focusing on Cinna, and it uses the canon so unbelievably well, you'll want to make this backstory your personal canon.

TV meme - Day Nineteen

2010-09-27T18:56:06Z

Almost caught up...

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence

Day 19 – Best TV show cast

Leverage

From what I've read, this show was originally intended to be more of a showcase for Timothy Hutton--understandably. But fortunately for us, the creators quickly saw the great chemistry among the cast, aided by the fact that they are all great friends in real life, and it became an ensemble show. Like the members of the team, each actor is important to the whole, contributing something unique that adds to the show.

The best part of each episode isn't anyone's individual performance, but rather how they play off each other. It's a show that I can watch over and over, and always notice new things.

Sadly, there don't seem to be very many straight-up clips from the show on Youtube, but since Parker is my favorite character in a cast that I adore, here's a season one Parker clip-fest:

Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

TV meme - Day Sixteen

2010-09-23T13:58:32Z

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character

Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show

No question about it--at the moment, it's Glee.

I call Glee a guilty pleasure because while I love it, it's far, FAR from perfect. Characterizations are inconsistent, plot points are picked up just long enough to fit into a song theme and then dropped just as quickly, and storylines that should have more satisfying resolutions are wrapped up too quickly.

BUT.

I love the big musical productions--I've watched their Regionals performance countless times.
I love the laugh-out-loud throwaway lines--"Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?"
I love that they're not afraid to make characters occasionally unlikeable. On another show, writer might feel compelled to make characters like Artie or Kurt too noble, but on Glee, they can sometimes be jerks just like anyone else can.
I love Sue Sylvester.

So basically, I'm able to forgive a lot of the flaws that would normally make me hate a show for the sake of a fully harmonized Journey song-and-dance number.

Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

TV meme - Day Fourteen

2010-09-21T13:57:09Z

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show

Day 14 – Favorite male character

To the surprise of no one: Logan Echolls, Veronica Mars

I'm not going to go into a huge amount of detail here. If you love Logan too, you know exactly why I do, and if you don't, I'll never convince you. :)

Runners up:

Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)

Jim Halpert (The Office)

Ten (Doctor Who)

Keith Mars (Veronica Mars)

Xander Harris and Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Eliot Spencer and Alec Hardison (Leverage)

Coach Taylor, Tim Riggins, and Matt Saracen (Friday Night Lights)

...couldn't find a picture with the three of them all together, dang it...

Cameron (Modern Family)

Respond in the comments with pics of your favorites!

Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

TV meme - Day Thirteen

2010-09-20T14:05:14Z

Hmm... a bunch of high-schoolers who don't fit in anywhere else bond over their love of music and dance, occasionally bursting into huge musical production numbers during the course of the episode. Sound familiar? It's especially amazing when you consider that while Glee uses rearranged versions of existing songs, Fame had entirely new, original songs in every episode. (Yes, I totally bought the albums. I still have some on vinyl!) The cast also did some live tours during their hiatuses. I wonder if Debbie Allen watches Glee and thinks, "Yeah, bitches, we did that first. And I could still kick Morrison's ass in a dance-off."

I got the season 1 DVDs for Christmas a few years ago, and it's funny to watch now. These were the days before VCRs and other devices that let us watch shows at any other time than their original broadcast, so most shows, including Fame, were loath to use storylines that lasted for more than one episode, so viewers who missed episodes wouldn't be lost. In one episode, Danny develops a speed problem, gets worse and worse, has a breakdown, his friends intervene, and he gets over the addiction--all in ONE episode. And it's never mentioned again, heh.

But I still adore the music scenes. I thought Erica Gimpel (aka Alicia Fennel to you VM fans) was the coolest girl ever, and I had my first TV boy crush on Gene Anthony Ray (RIP). Bruno was cute, but damn--Leroy had an adorable smile and a killer dancer's body. Which he was usually showing off in the tight clothes of the late-'70s/early-'80s. Check out these arms:

Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

TV meme - Day Nine

2010-09-16T14:40:20Z

Spoiler for Buffy s2 in here, fleurlb, and anyone else who still hasn't seen it...

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch

Day 09 – Best scene ever

The whole of Buffy is a high-school-is-hell metaphor, but that was never better demonstrated than in this scene from "Innocence" (2x14):

(The scene begins at 3:20.)

After Buffy and Angel have sex for the first time (which is Buffy's first time), he loses his soul, unbeknownst to her. When she sees him the day after, Angelus, pretending to be his souled self, acts like a total dick--he makes her feel first like an awkward, pathetic kid, then a slut for giving it up to him. He makes it very clear that what happened, while important to her, was not at all important to him. It's every teenage girl's worst fears about sex--"What if I'm not good?" "What if he thinks I'm a slut?" "What if he blows me off the next day?"--played out against a supernatural backdrop. It's Whedon at his very best.

Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

TV meme - Day Five

2010-09-12T22:22:31Z

An easy one for a lazy Sunday:

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever

Day 05 – A show you hate

Two and a Half Men. I tried it, mainly because I thought Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen were cute when I was a teenager and they were making John Hughes movies. But it seems that 90% of the jokes are sex jokes, made in front of the kid, or fat jokes made at the expense of the kid. Oh, and occasional, sexist "oh, aren't women just crazy and irrational?" jokes as well. Blech. It's just lowest-common-denominator comedy.

Then the fact that Jon Cryer won the Emmy for "Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy" last year, when everyone knew it should have gone to Neil Patrick Harris, only solidified my hate. Never mind that this crap is going on its eighth season, despite Charlie Sheen's many, MANY legal troubles and the show's growing suckage. I hate it so much, I'm not going to link to a Youtube vid of it. Instead, I'm going to link to a NPH vid, because he's awesome:

Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

Leverage Fic: The Apple, Chapter 4/4: Family (Eliot, Aimee, team, OFCs) R

2010-09-11T19:20:49Z

Title: The Apple, Chapter Four: Family
Characters: Eliot, Aimee, team, OFCs
Word Count: ~3,100
Rating: R (cursing, violence)
Summary: The kidnappers had no idea who they were dealing with…
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is the 4th and final chapter of “The Apple,” with an epilogue to come. Feedback is appreciated! Previous parts can be found here:

Prologue
Chapter One: Spencer
Chapter Two: Eliot
Chapter Three: Dad

~*~*~*~

“We need to call the police, Eliot!”

“Local police aren’t going to be able to handle this,” Eliot told Aimee as he threw some gear into a duffel bag.

“And you are?”

He stopped moving briefly and looked her straight in the eye. “This is what I do.”

“Then I’m coming with you,” she said, her expression stoic but her eyes glinting with fear.

“No, you stay here so I don’t have to worry about keeping you safe,” Eliot said. “And what if Spencer calls the house? If you don’t hear from me in an hour, then call the cops.”

“Eliot…” she said, her voice shaking.

“I’m going to get her back,” he said firmly. “And I’m gonna have help.” Eliot dug his earbud out of his pocket and put it in. “Hardison—you there?”

“Hey, man,” was the immediate response. “How’d our girl do in the spelling bee?”

“Not now. Someone took her.”

“Excuse me—took her?”

“Yeah. On her way to school.”

“The fastest we can get there is five hours,” Hardison replied. “Next flight’s at—”

“Too long. I’m going in myself,” Eliot said, giving Aimee a meaningful look as he threw his bag into the truck and climbed behind the wheel. “But I still need your help.”

“Anything.”

“The guy called my cell a few minutes ago—who was it? He wants 500 grand in exchange for her, so I’m not sure what I’m dealin’ with here.”

While he listened to Hardison tapping at his keyboard, Eliot’s mind raced as he considered all of the criminals who had vendettas against him: Violent, angry men who would think nothing of hurting a little girl to hurt him.

“The phone is registered to… Carl Hutchens of Owl Bluff, Kentucky.”

Eliot drew a blank. “Carl Hutchens? Who the fuck is Carl Hutchens?” he asked as he turned onto the main road, his wheels spinning in the dirt.

“Let’s see… traffic incident… a few minor arrests…Hmm, it looks like Carl has been busted a few times for shoplifting large quantities of cold medicine and/or drain cleaner,” Hardison said.

“A meth dealer?” Eliot shouted. “My daughter’s been taken by a fucking crank head? Oh, this guy is dead.”

“No, no—don’t go in hot, Eliot,” Nate’s voice came over the comms. “If he’s just a local dealer, odds are he doesn’t know who you are.”

“You can use that to your advantage,” said Sophie, in her calming tone.

“You both are on comms?” Eliot asked.

“Hardison alerted us,” Sophie explained.

“I don’t know what I can do,” Parker piped in. “But I just wanted to hear you kick this guy’s ass.”

“OK, they’re at an empty stable just a few miles away,” Eliot explained, suddenly feeling calmer and more focused. “They gave me an hour to get the ransom money, so I’ll be there earlier than they think.”

“They?” Nate asked.

“There’s four guys,” Eliot said. “I made them put Spencer on the phone to prove she was OK and she slipped that in.”

“Oh yeah, she did!” Hardison said. “Wait—they gave you an hour to come up with a half-mill in cash? Sounds like first-timers to me.”

Up ahead, Eliot saw something at the side of the road.

“Eliot? You still there?” Nate asked.

“I see her bike,” he said softly. He nearly sped past in the interest of time, but at the last second, decided to pull over. He jumped out of the truck, and with one hand, picked up Spencer’s treasured bicycle and laid it gently in the bed of the pickup.

“I’m on my way again,” he said as he hit the gas pedal. “Just another couple minutes.”

“Then I think you should use the extra time to do a little recon and see what you’re dealing with,” Nate suggested.

“Right,” Sophie agreed. “If they don’t really know you, that gives you the element of surprise.”

“The big question is: Why Spencer?” Eliot asked. “If they think I’m just another horse trainer, why did they think I’d have 500 grand to give them?”

Hardison sighed. “Oh, damn…”

“What?”

“Carl is a maintenance man at Sunset Mall,” the hacker said.

“Where we got the computer,” Parker murmured.

“And the bike,” added Eliot. “Where I paid cash. Fuck.”

“OK,” Nate said loudly, in the tone he often used to get everyone back on track, “so what we’re dealing with is just a regular old ransom case. They’re not pros—they just picked a kid whose dad has money. We can handle this.”

Eliot breathed slowly, trying to shake off the feelings of guilt so he could focus on the job at hand. “I can see the place now. I’m going to park a little ways up the road—there’s a lot of tree cover around here.”

Parker snorted. “Definitely amateurs.”

The team went silent as Eliot crept toward the stable, avoiding the front door and windows while he looked for another way in.

“There’s only one back entrance,” Eliot whispered. “But it’s locked.”

“Oo! I can help with this part!” Parker hollered in his ear. “What kind of lock is it?”

Eliot squinted against the sun. “Looks like a typical padlock. It’s all rusty though.”

“Piece of cake,” she said. “Do you have the tool?”

“Always.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his copy of the Swiss Army knife-like gadget that he and Parker had made for each team member. It included a few small weapons that could also double as lock picks.

Eliot’s feet barely made the softest crunch on the gravel as he moved toward the stable. “I’m here. Now make sure you use words that normal people can understand.”

Following Parker’s instructions, he worked as quietly as possible until the ancient lock rasped open.

“He did it!” Parker whooped. “I’d know that sound anywhere.”

“I’m goin’ in,” he whispered.

He opened the door the tiniest crack and slipped in, staying in the shadows. In the middle of the aisle between the rows of horse pens, he saw Spencer with her hands tied to a chair. She appeared disheveled, but uninjured, as she glared at her captors.

“My parents are going to be looking for me,” she spat.

“Shut up!” said one of the rangy men milling about. “You never stop talking!” He raised his palm as if to hit her but was stopped by one of his cohorts.

“Larry! Don’t hit ’er unless you have to!” shouted a voice from the corner. He walked into the light and Eliot could see he was holding a gun. “Our chances are better if this thing is clean, so don’t add assault to the list of what we done.”

“But she assaulted me, Mel! Look—I think my nose is still bleedin’!”

“Shut the fuck up, you baby,” Mel replied. “You’re just pissed that you got beat up by a little girl.”

“Shut up, alla you,” muttered a third man, who had a lump under his dirty blue jacket that could be another weapon.

“Yeah, I told Daddy Warbucks an hour, so he’s gonna be here soon and we gotta be cool about this,” said the man Eliot assumed to be Hutchens. “Just a simple switch—take the money, give him the kid, and we’re outta here. It’ll be easy money if you assholes don’t fuck it up.”

Spencer snickered.

“Shut up,” Larry said again.

Eliot left the building as quietly as he’d entered it, and went back to the spot in the trees where he’d left his bag.

“I’m out. There’s one with a gun, one who might have somethin’, and two unarmed,” he said. “Piece of cake.”

“I still say you should go in playing the worried father,” Sophie said.

“That ain’t playin’,” Eliot growled.

“You know what I mean,” she continued. “Your innocent routine always fools people. It’s a good one.”

“Plus, you minimize the chances of Spencer getting hurt in the process,” Nate noted. “Give yourself a few minutes to scope things out and get the guys where you want them before the fists start flying.”

Eliot took a deep breath as he picked up his bag and went back to the truck. “You’re right—I gotta treat this like any other job. Keep my head in the game.”

Everyone was silent as he drove up to the stable’s front doors. Eliot had been in plenty of far more dangerous situations, but nonetheless, his heart was in his throat. The ambient sounds of his four teammates listening in helped steel his nerves and ready him for the fight to come.

“Here goes,” he said as he stepped down from the vehicle.

“Good luck, Eliot,” Parker said in a small voice.

The door opened with a loud creak and Eliot peeked his head in. “Hello? I-I-I-I’m here. Is this where I’m supposed to meet you?” he called out, making sure to include a tremor in his voice.

“Did you bring the money?” one of the men called out.

Eliot walked tentatively toward the voice and held the duffel bag out at his side. “Yeah, yeah, I have it right here.”

“Stop there,” said the man in the blue jacket, pointing a gun at him shakily. Eliot glanced around for another weapon and saw that the one they called Mel was holding another gun at Spencer’s back. All of the men were too thin, with greasy hair and open sores—a clear sign that they were using in addition to dealing.

Eliot threw his hands in the air, with the bag dangling from his thumb. “Whoa, whoa—I’m going to do whatever you say. Just don’t hurt us.” He looked to Spencer, who appeared to be more angry than scared. “Are you OK, honey?”

“Yeah, Dad,” she said, biting her lip anxiously.

“Hand over the bag,” Carl ordered, puffing out his chest and clearly enjoying his leadership role. “Larry, go get it.”

As Larry stepped toward him, Eliot saw that his nose was indeed still bleeding. It might even be broken, he noted with some amusement, as he worked to keep the worried look on his face. Once the man was next to him, Eliot cried out, “Wait! How do I know you’re not going to hurt her after I give you the money? All I want is for us to get out of here safely. She’s just a little girl—please.”

Carl thought for a moment as he aggressively scratched his arms. “All right, all right. Mel, you untie her, but she stays in her seat. When Daddy hands over the money, they can have their little family reunion while we get out of here. Everybody got that?”

“OK,” Eliot said, still holding his hands up in surrender. “Thank you, sir. I just want to get her home.”

Mel kneeled behind Spencer, but his jittery hands had difficulty untying the knots so he laid his weapon in the straw next to him. Everyone’s eyes were on him as he finally loosened the bonds and Spencer rubbed her freed wrists.

“We good now?” Carl asked. “Then let’s have the cash.”

Spencer hadn’t taken her eyes off her father since he’d entered. His hands were still over his head as he turned to look at her. His fearful expression faded and he gave her a barely perceptible nod. When she raised her eyebrows in reply, he let go of the duffel bag. All four men looked up to watch it fall.

In a split second, Spencer slipped out of her seat, crouched low, and kicked straight into the side of Mel’s knee, making the man fall to the ground with a scream. She pushed his gun with her foot and it spun away into a pile of hay.

The man in the blue jacket turned around to see what had happened, and Eliot wrenched his gun out of his hand. Before he had a chance to react, Eliot punched him square in the face, then threw an elbow in the opposite direction, hitting Larry’s already broken nose. Larry fell to the floor, clutching his face, while Eliot delivered another punch to the other man, knocking him out cold. With one fluid motion, he pulled the clip from the gun and threw the weapon and ammunition in opposite directions. A swift kick stopped Larry’s wailing about his nose.

The duffel bag finally hit the floor with a thud, and Carl scurried toward it. “This was your idea, wasn’t it, Carl?” Eliot snarled as the man skidded to a stop in front of him. “Bet you thought it was a pretty brilliant plan, didn’t you?”

“I-I-I-I didn’t think—”

“You didn’t think you’d get caught, right?” Eliot grabbed a fistful of Carl’s shirt. “You thought you’d be just fine roughing up a kid so you could finance your crank habit?”

“You don’t understand what it’s like,” Carl pleaded.

“I understand that you’re not going to make this mistake again,” Eliot growled, and with a head-butt, sent Carl to the floor in a heap.

With the other three kidnappers unconscious, Eliot walked slowly and purposefully toward Mel. His splintered knee prevented him from running, but he was still attempting escape by dragging himself toward the door.

Eliot crouched over him and the man cowered. “P-p-please—don’t hurt me!” he cried.

“You pointed a gun at my daughter,” Eliot hissed, keeping his voice low. “Consider yourself lucky that hurt is all you’re gonna get.” A final, solid punch to the cheekbone made it certain that Mel wasn’t going to get away.

Breathing hard, Eliot stood up and pushed his hair out of his face. He looked around the stable for Spencer, who had backed into a corner to stay out of the way.

“Spence—you OK?”

The girl just nodded, her eyes wide, and her lower lip trembled.

“Come here, darlin’,” Eliot said, hurrying to her. “You don’t have to be brave anymore.”

Spencer threw herself into his arms and burst into tears. “I was so scared, Daddy,” she said, her face buried in his shoulder.

“Of course you were, but you still did great,” he said, cupping the back of her head in his hand. “You kept yourself safe, and that’s what matters.”

“I love you, Dad.”

Eliot’s voice momentarily stuck in his throat. It had been a really long time since anyone had said that to him. Years, in fact. “I love you too, Spence.”

“Awww!” Parker cooed, reminding Eliot that his team was still listening in.

He kissed the top of Spencer’s head and put her down, keeping one hand protectively on her shoulder. “I’ve got Spencer,” he said, readjusting his earbud.

“Who are you talking to? Is that like a Bluetooth or something?” the girl asked.

Hardison scoffed under his breath. “Bluetooth…pfft…”

“Sort of,” Eliot replied, lifting his hair so she could see the tiny speaker in his ear. “The team and I use these to talk to each other.”

“So everyone can hear me? Cool! Hi guys!”

Eliot pulled her close, with her ear pressed against his, so she could hear the clamor of returned greetings.

“Are you OK, Spencer?” Nate asked. “Did those guys hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“She’s the one who hurt them,” Eliot said proudly. “Gave one a broken nose and took out another guy’s knee with a perfectly executed side kick.”

“That kick you showed me totally worked!” she yelped, forgetting her tears. She jumped back and reenacted the kick for him.

“Told ya.”

“And you totally pounded those guys, all by yourself! Wait—” she paused, and Eliot could almost hear the gears turning in her brain. “The team—are you guys, like, superheroes?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Is that how you help people?”

“Well...” he began.

“Hell yeah, we’re superheroes!” Hardison exclaimed.

“I mean it, Dad, you were like Batman!”

He found himself blushing a little at his daughter’s praise, and was glad his team wasn’t able to see that or he’d never hear the end of it. “Maybe a little…”

One of the men lying on the ground groaned faintly, getting Eliot’s attention.

“OK, I gotta decide what to do with these guys,” he said to his teammates.

“Already workin’ on it,” came the reply from Hardison. “I heard the names Mel and Larry, and Carl’s last bust included a Melvin Gates and a Lawrence Carter, so I’m thinkin’ those are our guys.”

“What about the fourth guy? I never caught his name.”

“Whose name do you need?” Spencer asked. Eliot pointed to the unnamed, unconscious form. “They called that guy Stu,” she said. “I was keeping track of their names so I could tell the police later.”

“Good girl. Ah, Stuart Cranston, there we go,” Hardison said. “Stu’s gonna see the po-lice, that’s for sure. I’ll call 911 to report a drug deal goin' down, and I’m adding a few extra outstanding warrants and priors to these guys’ records to make sure they go to jail for a loooong time. You’d better get yo’ criminal self outta there soon though.”

“True—and I gotta get Spencer home. Soph, my phone’s in the truck. Can you call Aimee?”

“I’m on it,” Sophie said before going off comms.

“Let’s go, Spence. The police are gonna be here soon to pick up these guys, but we can’t be here.” At her questioning look, he added with a wink, “I gotta keep my secret identity.”

“But what if they tell the police what happened?”

Eliot scoffed. “Who’s gonna believe that four guys got taken out by one guy and a little girl? That’s crazy talk.”

She giggled and slipped her hand into his. He scooped up the duffel bag—which was actually full of clothes and a few books—and they left the stable.

“Listen, Eliot, we’re going to catch the next plane down there, in case there’s any cleanup needed,” Nate said. “We don’t want to leave any loose ends with this one.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking that the cops might have some questions for Spence and me.”

“But I don’t think they know who we are,” Spencer interjected. “They didn’t know my name.”

“They didn’t?” Nate asked.

“They didn’t?” Eliot repeated the question for Spencer to hear.

“No, they asked me my name and I made one up. Mom always said I shouldn’t tell any personal information to strangers. I didn’t tell them your name either—just your cell phone number when they said they had to call you to come get me.”

"That was a really smart thing to do," Eliot said, and the girl grinned.

“Excellent,” Nate said. “That’ll make our jobs a little easier. But I think we should still come just in case.”

“Right. See you tonight then,” Eliot replied as Nate left comms to go make the travel plans.

“Tonight?” Spencer asked. “Who else is coming to visit?”

Eliot gave her hand a tug, trying to pick up their pace. “Everyone. The whole team.”

The girl clapped delightedly. “Yay! I’m excited.”

They approached the truck and Spencer broke into a run. “You got my bike!”

“What—like I was gonna leave it there on the side of the road?”

She grinned and hugged him around his waist. “I love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too, darlin’,” he replied, the words coming more easily this time.

“We love you too, Spencer!” Parker shouted into Eliot’s ear as he boosted the girl into the truck.

“She can’t hear you, Parker, she—”

“Tell her that I’ll bring the new beta version of Jedi Academy so we can—” Hardison began.

“And we can go to the park again!” Parker squealed. “We can work on her flips off the monkey bars.”

Sirens began sounding in the distance, so Eliot quickly climbed into the vehicle and pulled away from the stable while his teammates continued making plans.

“And the zoo!”

“Yeah! But only if we can go on the carousel! And then we can—”

Eliot took his earbud out with a sigh, then looked at Spencer, who was beaming in the seat next to him. She’d already put her traumatic experience behind her, just thrilled about the unexpected visit from the team.

"What?" she asked when she saw him watching her.

“Uncle Alec and Aunt Parker say they’re excited to see you too.”

~ Next: Epilogue ~

TV meme - Day Two

2010-09-09T14:42:10Z

Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled

Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching

My first instinct was to list Friday Night Lights here. But the show isn't at risk of cancellation--it has a definitive end date, and the final season has already been shot and scheduled to air. If you appreciate outstanding writing and acting, you should be watching FNL, but for this item, I'm going with Chuck.

Chuck is funny, dramatic, and exciting, with complicated spy storylines and snappy dialogue. Also, it's a show about geeks, made by geeks for geeks--there are a lot of little in-jokes and references just for us. :) Zachary Levi is so cute, Adam Baldwin is a riot as the straight man (but we all knew that from Firefly), and I have a huge girlcrush on Yvonne Strahovski. And as my husband has pointed out, for every shot of Sarah in a short dress or sexy spy gear, there is at least one shirtless shot of Ryan McPartlin or Brandon Routh. (Seriously, Captain Awesome wears a shirt about half the time.)

But due in large part to constant scheduling switcheroos by NBC, Chuck has never gotten the chance to really build up the audience it could have. Every season, it's a nail-biter to see if they're going to be renewed. So if you don't already, start watching Chuck!

Day 03 – Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 – Your favorite show ever
Day 05 – A show you hate
Day 06 – Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 – Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 – A show everyone should watch
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A show that disappointed you
Day 12 – An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 – Favorite female character
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

Leverage Fic: The Apple, Chapter 3/4: Dad (Eliot, Aimee, Parker, Sophie, OFC) PG

2010-09-06T16:01:06Z

Title: The Apple, Chapter Three: Dad
Characters: Eliot, Aimee, Parker, Sophie, OFC
Word Count: ~2,500
Rating: PG
Summary: Can a hitter learn to be a father?
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is chapter 3 of 4 for “The Apple.” Previous parts can be found here:

Prologue
Chapter One: Spencer
Chapter Two: Eliot

Feedback is appreciated!

~*~*~*~

“He’s going to wear the finish off the floor with all that pacing.”

“Could that really happen? Nate’s gonna be mad if that happens.”

“Hmm, probably not. But that furrow between his eyebrows might become permanent if he’s not careful.”

Parker poked at her own forehead. “Could that really happen?”

Sophie nodded seriously and Eliot stopped his pacing to glare at them. “I asked you to be here because I thought you might be helpful. If you’re not gonna be, then go.”

“We’re sorry, Eliot,” Sophie said with a giggle. “We’re just not accustomed to seeing you like this.”

“All nervous and fidgety,” Parker chimed in, flapping her hands to demonstrate.

“It’s…cute,” Sophie added.

“It’s not cute!”

“Seriously, watch that furrow,” Sophie added. “It’s going to age you.”

When he responded with a heavy sigh, Sophie changed her tone. “Look, Aimee is telling Spencer everything, so the hard part is done. You can do this—children always love you.”

“This isn’t the same thing,” Eliot replied, running his hand through his hair. “This is… she’s my kid. What if I mess this up?”

“You won’t.” Sophie put a gentle hand on his arm. “She’s still a normal eight-year-old girl. Just talk to her. Ask her about herself. Children love talking about themselves.”

Eliot took a deep breath to try to relax.

“You can do th—” A knock on the door made her squeal. “They’re here!”

Eliot didn’t move, but just shook out his hands to release some nervous energy. Meanwhile, Parker bounced on the balls of her feet in barely contained glee.

“Do you want me to…?” Sophie asked, gesturing toward the door. He said nothing. “OK, I’ll get it then.”

She opened the door and greeted Aimee and her daughter, who stepped in tentatively. The girl watched Eliot with wide eyes.

“Honey,” Aimee said, putting a hand on Spencer’s shoulder, “this is your father, Eliot Sp—”

Eliot had begun to raise his hand in greeting when Spencer launched herself across the room. He instinctively braced himself for impact and caught her as she leapt at him and threw her arms around his neck.

“Hi,” he said with a chuckle as he put his arms around her. His hand rested on her long hair, and he inwardly marveled at how much it felt like his own—and like his mother’s. It occurred to him that his mother would have loved to have grandchildren, and he squeezed Spencer a little tighter.

“I missed you, Dad,” said the voice muffled against his shoulder.

Eliot’s voice caught in his throat, as he tried to think of what to say. Fortunately, before he could answer her, Spencer piped up again. “Is my mom crying?”

He looked up to see that Aimee was indeed tearing up, as were Sophie and Parker, who quickly turned away to try and hide that fact.

“Yup,” he said.

Spencer released her grip and Eliot set her down. “Moms,” the girl said with an eye roll.

“Yeah. So, um… how did you hurt yourself?” Eliot asked, pointing to the band-aid on her forehead.

“Poorly constructed bike ramp,” she said seriously as Eliot tried not to look amused. “I shoulda checked my friend’s work before I jumped. How did you hurt yourself?”

“Oh, it was just a work thing.” Eliot glanced at the scrapes on his knuckles and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“How did it happen? Mom said your job is helping people. Did you rescue someone, like a firefighter? Or a policeman? My friend Cara’s dad is a firefighter and he saves people all the time.”

The night before, Eliot and Aimee had decided that it was probably better if Spencer didn’t know about the less-than-legal aspects of her father’s job. So while part of him wanted to impress her, he needed to be vague.

“Well, we were helping someone who was having trouble with their insurance company, and…I just had a little accident. No big deal.”

“Insurance? Like, for doctor bills?”

Eliot nodded.

“Huh.” Spencer looked disappointed.

He looked over to Sophie, who gave him a stern look and pointed at the girl.

“So, uh—what about school?” he asked. “What are your favorite subjects?”

He wandered toward the couch to sit down, and Spencer followed. “I like history. And geography. My mom said you were in the Army—what did you do? Where were you stationed?” she asked excitedly, abruptly changing the subject.

“Well, just, you know, that’s just boring military stuff. I want to hear about you though. Do you play any sports?”

“I played soccer last year, but I’m not sure if I’m going to try out again this year.”

“Why not?”

“Karate’s on the same day and I think I like it better.”

“Karate, huh?”

“Yeah—I’m already a yellow belt! Did you ever take karate?”

“Hmm…I might be able to show you a few things.”

“Cool,” she said, kicking off another awkward silence. Eliot’s mind raced, and he wondered why it was so easy to have a spontaneous conversation with a mark but not with third-grader.

“So…” He had an idea. “How about go-carts? You like go-carts?”

Spencer’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Why—is there a track around here? Can we go?”

Eliot jumped up, feeling triumphant. “Just 15 minutes away.”

With a whoop, Spencer leapt off the couch and bolted for the door. “Bye, Mom!”

Aimee spun around to face them. “Wait. Where are you going?”

“Dad’s taking me go-carting!”

“Wanna come?” Eliot offered.

“Do you need me to?” Aimee asked. Eliot considered taking her up on the offer, but then decided he needed to get to know Spencer without using another person as a buffer. And when Eliot was faced with a challenge, the only way he knew how to meet it was head on.

“Not unless you like driving tiny, loud cars around a track for a few hours.”

Aimee wrinkled her nose. “I think I’ll pass then. You two have fun.”

Spencer flung the door open and charged out, with her father jogging to keep up.

“And be careful! I don’t want anyone to get hurt!” Aimee yelled out after them.

No one got hurt—except perhaps Eliot’s pride, when Spencer roundly beat him two out of three times on the go-cart track.

“I think my cart is slower because I’m heavier than you,” he said after her first win.

“Pfft, excuses. Wanna go again?”

But he duly impressed her with his killer aim at Skee-Ball (especially when he gave her all the tickets he won), and they learned that they both liked the same pizza toppings (sausage and mushrooms).

Eliot had never understood those parents who seemed content to just watch their children play. It looked painfully dull, and he could never stand still for that long anyway. But that afternoon, Eliot found himself standing among the Dockers-clad dads and moms in sensible shoes, holding Spencer’s cheap Skee-Ball prizes and beaming at her while she tumbled through the moonbounce with the other kids.

“Do you know what time it is?” asked a parent to his left.

Eliot pulled out his phone and glanced at it. “Whoa—it’s 8:15.” How had so much time passed? He never lost track of the time. “Spence! We gotta go!”

Spencer did a headfirst tuck-and-roll out of the moonbounce, expertly landing next to her shoes. “What are we doing next?”

“Next we’re going home.”

“But I’m not tired!” she protested.

“Look, I texted your mom two hours ago and said we’d be back in a half-hour.”

“You’re in trouble,” Spencer cackled as she finished tying her shoelaces.

Eliot sighed as he texted Aimee an apology and a new ETA. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

On the drive home, Spencer’s energy level quickly dropped, and soon she was dozing in the seat next to him. Her limp body slumped against her seat belt, with her head tilted at an awkward angle that was sure to leave her with a stiff neck. Eliot slid his arm behind her, nudging her gingerly until her head was leaning on his shoulder. In her sleep, she gripped the edge of his flannel shirt. He’d been on many all-day fishing trips that had ended the same way, but it felt strange to now be in his father’s seat, driving the truck home while a child snoozed peacefully against him.

The next few days were packed with activities, and they were often joined by Aimee or members of his team—most frequently Parker and Hardison, who loved having an excuse to go to the zoo and eat junk food.

All too soon though, Spencer and Aimee had to go home so the girl didn’t miss too much school. At the airport, Eliot bought a ticket so he could walk with them all the way to the gate.

“You paid all that money to not go anywhere?” Spencer asked.

“Eh, Hardison will return it and get the money back,” Eliot said with a shrug.

“Oh, Mom!” Spencer yelped, stopping in her tracks. “Where’s the iPod that Uncle Alec got me?”

“It’s in my purse,” Aimee replied.

“He’s not your uncle,” Eliot growled, but Spencer just giggled.

“Aunt Parker said you’d say that.”

Even though they were early to the gate, Aimee and Spencer waited until the last possible minute to board. Aimee said her goodbyes to Eliot and got in the boarding line.

“I guess we gotta go now,” Spencer said, dragging herself slowly out of her chair.

Eliot felt the same way she did, but he tried to sound cheerful as he hugged her close. “Hey, don’t worry—I’ll be down to visit as soon as I can.”

“When?” she demanded.

“Next month,” he said. “I promise.”

~*~*~*~

He didn’t really keep that promise—because just two weeks later, he was already in Kentucky to see Spencer’s first karate class of the new session. Then three weeks after that, he came in for parent-teacher conferences. Another two and a half weeks passed and he visited, with Parker and Hardison tagging along, to stay with Spencer while Aimee and her father went to Memphis on business.

Any time he had a break between jobs, he was on a plane to Louisville. Nate was giving the team a lot more time off than usual, and Eliot knew that Spencer was the reason.

His most recent excuse to visit was the third-grade spelling bee. The following morning, he was waiting for Spencer when she came out the front door.

“Mornin’, champ.”

“I’m not the champ, Dad, I came in second,” she said, blushing a little at the praise.

“You woulda been first if they hadn’t tripped you up on that ‘i before e’ thing,” he said, ruffling her hair. “‘Receive’ is a tough one. Need a ride to school?”

“Nah, I wanna take my new bike,” she said as she shrugged on her backpack. “I have to show my friends!”

“You want to go riding this afternoon? I can get the horses all ready to go as soon as you get home so we can get in a good, long ride before dinner.”

“Yeah! I’ll come straight back after,” Spencer replied.

Eliot sent her off with a hug and a kiss and watched as she sped up the driveway in a cloud of dust.

Before he could go back inside, Aimee came out the door waving a sheet of paper. “What is this, Eliot?”

“That’s a college savings account.”

“A million dollars? A million dollars?”

“Do you know what the cost of college is going to be in ten years?” he said seriously. “I do. I did some research. And she’s so smart, she’s probably going to get into, like, Harvard or Oxford or somethin’. Plus, there’s books, and room and board, and…”

“OK, OK,” Aimee said, laughing gently. “It just seems like a little… much.”

“Look, you know I’ve got the money now, and I needed to make sure that you and Spencer are all set, no matter what happens to me.”

“Eliot…”

“I know you've been doing fine without me all this time, but I just wanted to do something to try and make up for not being here all this time before.”

“You’re making up for it now,” Aimee said. “Which reminds me—can we talk about all the things you’re buying her? If you keep taking her shopping every time you visit, you’re going to spoil her.”

“What? She needed a new bike. The old one may look fixed, but the frame is never going to be solid enough for jumping again. And we found a sparkly pink BMX bike—how was I supposed to pass that up?”

“It’s not just the bike.”

“She needs a computer for her homework, and Hardison said that was the best one,” Eliot said defensively. “And the clothes were from Sophie. That was not me.”

Aimee gave in, laughing. “I didn’t think you picked out the designer jeans.”

“A good fighter knows his weaknesses.”

Her smile took Eliot back to a simpler time, when their biggest concern had been how they could get some time together, away from their parents’ watchful eyes.

“Hey, my dad had to leave early to go into Louisville for the day. Can you help me feed the horses?”

“Already did it,” he said, causing her to raise her eyebrows in question. “I don’t sleep much. Figured if I got it done early, I could make Spencer breakfast—but she just scarfed down some cereal and took off.”

Aimee tilted her head and her strawberry-blonde hair swung softly over her shoulder. “You could make me breakfast…”

The corner of Eliot’s mouth quirked up. “Come on—I haven’t eaten yet either.”

They chatted amiably while they ate their omelets, talking about Eliot’s work, the stables, Spencer… Eliot usually wasn’t good at sitting still for too long, but he was learning to enjoy their mornings alone during his visits. His choices in life had closed off a lot of possible paths, but he’d been wondering lately if perhaps some paths were still more open than he’d thought.

Aimee’s story about teaching Spencer to ride a bike was interrupted by her phone ringing. “It’s the school,” she said when she looked at the display.

“Uh oh, what’d she do?” Eliot speculated with a smirk.

“Hello? … No, she’s supposed to be there… OK, her dad and I are on our way.” She ended the call and stood up. “They said she’s not there.”

Eliot was on his feet, keys in hand. “You call the cops, I’m going out to look—”

“Hold on, Eliot. This happened once before—she saw a rabbit and followed it into the woods and forgot about going to school.”

His jaw tensed. “Aimee…”

“Kids don’t get kidnapped out here—they chase the wildlife. Let’s just go get her and bring her to school.”

“Fine,” he harrumphed. “Let’s take the truck so we can put her bike in—” Eliot’s phone rang and he picked it up.

“Yeah?”

It was an unfamiliar male voice. “We have your daughter.”

~On to Chapter Four: Family~

LJ/Facebook/Twitter nonsense

2010-09-01T23:24:22Z

If you hate the idea of automated cross-posting from LJ to Twitter and FB as much as I do, go take the poll here!

The Apple, Chapter 2/4: Eliot (Eliot, Aimee, Parker, implied Eliot/Aimee) PG

2010-08-10T21:36:12Z

Title: The Apple, Chapter Two: Eliot
Characters: Eliot, Aimee, Parker, implied Eliot/Aimee
Word Count: ~1,200
Rating: PG
Summary: Eliot finds out.
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is Chapter 2 of “The Apple,” which was meant to be a one-shot, but will now be a five-parter. Blame shanachie_quill. :) Feedback is appreciated.

Prologue
Chapter One

~*~*~*~

Some quick thinking from Sophie got the rest of the group out the door in search of pizza, and Eliot and Aimee were left in the sudden silence.

Eliot crossed his arms, not moving from the place he was standing.

“Talk.”

“You left before I knew,” Aimee said simply.

Eliot only raised his eyebrows in response.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t have told you if I’d known where you were?” she continued, her volume rising. “What kind of a horrible person do you think I am? I wouldn’t do that to you—or to her. You have to know that.”

His anger visibly deflated and he shrugged halfheartedly, his eyes directed at the floor. Aimee’s posture softened too.

“I loved you, Eliot,” she said quietly. “You would have been the first one to know. Especially if I thought it would have made you stay…”

He let his arms drop and turned to face her.

“What about what’s-his-name?”

She chuckled dryly. “It was over as soon as I told him. He knew how to count backwards from nine months, so it wasn’t hard for him to figure out when she was conceived.”

“Yeah, I think I have a pretty good idea too,” Eliot replied with a little smirk.

Aimee blushed a little, and they were quiet while he walked over to the counter and sat on the stool across from hers.

“Why didn’t you tell me when we were down there last year?” he finally said.

“I wasn’t ready—and neither were you, I think.” Her tea grew cold as she fidgeted with the mug in her hands. “When I saw you standing in my dad’s office, I was completely taken off guard. My dad hadn’t told me anything. I think he thought the surprise would be a good thing.”

Eliot laughed lightly and shook his head. “Willie always knows best.”

“Exactly. So since Spencer was already at a friend’s house, I just asked my friend to keep her for a few more days. Dad was kind of mad at me, but I knew it was the right thing to do at the time.”

“So why now?”

“She’s been asking about you a lot lately, now that she’s getting older. I thought I’d at least find out if you wanted to know her.”

“What does she know about me?” he asked cautiously.

“She’s seen pictures, but you were a lot younger and skinnier then,” Aimee said, smiling wistfully. “And you had less hair.”

Eliot unconsciously ran his hand through his hair to push it away from his face, then quickly folded his hands when he realized what he was doing.

“I’ve also been using your middle name, like your grandmother always did.”

“She never did like the name Eliot,” he said, smiling at the memory.

“Well, my concern was that Spencer might hear something about you. There were rumors about where you might be, so I didn’t want her to find out anything the wrong way.”

He set his mouth grimly. “Where does she think I’ve been all these years?”

“Since I’d heard you might be doing some kind of military work, I just told her you were in the Army—there are a lot of kids at home whose parents have been deployed, so that was a good enough explanation for her.”

Eliot sat quietly for a moment, looking intently at his interlocked hands, which were still covered with scrapes from the job two days earlier.

“Do you…do you really think this is a good idea?”

Aimee put her hands over his. “Eliot, she deserves to know her father. And you deserve to know her. She’s a great kid, and you two definitely have a lot in common—I think you’ll really hit it off.”

She paused, waiting for him to look up at her before she added. “The question is, are you ready to meet your daughter?”

~*~*~*~

For hours, Eliot sat on his couch, staring at the ceiling. His only movements were to occasionally rub his forehead in an effort to stave off the headache that had been threatening since his conversation with Aimee.

A faint movement of the air behind him alerted him to Parker’s presence.

“You know I’m here, right?” she whispered.

“Yeah.”

With one stretch of her long legs, she stepped over the back of the couch and plopped down on the cushion next to him.

“What did I tell you about putting your shoes on the furniture?” he groused, still not looking at her.

“Sorry.” She tilted her head back to look at the ceiling as well.

“So, are you angry? Nate thinks you should be angry.”

“I disappeared on purpose. The Uzbeki secret police couldn’t find me—how could a horse trainer from Kentucky?”

“Then why are we looking at the ceiling?”

“Because I don’t know what else to do.”

Parker blinked at the ceiling a few times. “I don’t get it.”

“What don’t you get, Parker?” he replied with a put-upon sigh.

“You have a kid. She’s like a cute, little, girly, mini-Eliot…”

He growled under his breath.

“…except she’s less crabby than you. And she’s totally fun! Why wouldn’t you want to meet her?”

“It’s not that. I want to meet her, but…” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “…I’m not sure if it’s a good idea for her to meet me.”

Parker sat up and tucked her legs underneath her, ignoring Eliot’s earlier warning about the upholstery. “Why?”

“You know why,” he said. “Some of the things I’ve done…”

“But you don’t do that stuff now. Now you’re one of the good guys.”

“Depends on who you ask.”

“Nobody’s one hundred percent perfect.” She pondered that for a moment. “Well, maybe a few people are, but most people aren’t. What matters is what you’re like now, because that’s the Eliot she’s going to know.”

“Besides,” Parker added, her voice suddenly growing very quiet, “a not-so-perfect dad who loves you is a hell of a lot better than no dad at all. Trust me.”

She sniffled, but when Eliot moved to look at her, she’d already jumped up from her seat and walked back around the couch. She took a few steps away, then stopped.

“I know your daughter will be better off having you in her life,” she said without turning around.

“How do you know that?” he replied to her back.

“Because I am.”

With that, she broke into a jog, heading down the hall toward the bedroom window she had used to enter. Eliot nearly yelled at her for walking across his bed on her way out, but stopped himself this time.

He sat in silence after she left, staring at his phone on the table.

Continue to Chapter Three: Dad

Leverage Fic: The Apple, Chapter 1/4: Spencer (Team, Aimee, OFC) PG

2010-08-05T04:31:38Z

Title: The Apple, Chapter One: Spencer
Characters: Nate, Sophie, Parker, Eliot, Hardison, Aimee, implied Eliot/Aimee
Word Count: ~1,100
Rating: PG
Summary: Aimee comes to Leverage HQ to talk to Nate and Sophie.
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: This is Chapter One of “The Apple,” which was meant to be a one-shot, but shanachie_quill is a fic pusher! Feeding me prompts like that—she is trouble. Now there will be at least multiple parts to this series. :) Feedback is appreciated.

Prologue

~*~*~*~

“I really don’t know—she just said she needed to talk to you and me,” Nate said.

“It has to be something about Eliot, right?” Sophie asked, filling the two mugs on the countertop with freshly made tea. “Otherwise, why wouldn’t she just call him?”

“I guess. But whatever it is, she didn’t want to tell me on the phone. It must be important if she was coming all the way here.”

“Hmm…” Sophie said as she sipped her tea thoughtfully.

A knock on the door interrupted their silent musings, and they both got up to answer.

“Hi,” Aimee said nervously as they opened the door.

“Aimee, how have you been?” Nate said cordially.

“Good,” she said, looking down the hall. “Thanks for seeing me.”

“Of course!” Sophie said, trying to put her more at ease. “Come in. Can I get you a cup of tea?”

“Sure,” Aimee said. She looked down the hall again. “Come on, honey!”

Pounding footsteps preceded the appearance of a girl with a wavy, brown ponytail, a band-aid on her forehead, and bright blue eyes.

“Hiiiii,” Nate said. “Um, Soph?”

Sophie turned back from her tea-pouring to look at the people in the doorway. “What? Oh…”

“Yeah,” Aimee said sheepishly as they entered. “This is my daughter, Spencer. Is he…”

“No, I sent him out on recon with Hardison. Told Hardison to keep him out as long as possible,” Nate muttered before brightening his tone and extending his hand to the little girl.

“I’m Nate. What happened to your head there, Spencer?”

“I was practicing jumps on my bike and the ramp fell apart when I came down on it too hard. Got these too.” She pulled up her pant legs so Nate could see the multiple scrapes and bruises.

“Ouch.”

The girl shrugged. “Didn’t really hurt. Bent the wheel on my bike though.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Nate glanced at Sophie, who was still staring at the girl with a bemused smile. “So, I guess we need to talk, Aimee?”

“Is there somewhere she can…?”

“Yeah—hang on. Parker!”

“Coming!”

Parker slid down the narrow railing of Nate’s spiral staircase, landing gracefully in front of the group.

“Cooool…” Spencer said.

“Want me to show you how?” Parker offered. “Oh, hi Aimee!”

“Actually, Parker, can you find something to do with Spencer while her mother and I talk?”

Parker inspected the child for a moment.

“That’s funny,” Parker snorted. “Her name is Spencer and she looks just like—”

Sophie cleared her throat.

“Ooooh,” Parker said under her breath, her eyes shifting from Aimee to Spencer.

“What?” the child asked.

“Is there something fun you two can do upstairs?” Sophie suggested.

Parker’s eyes lit up. “Know how to pick a lock?”

At Spencer’s enthusiastic grin, Sophie furrowed her brow and shook her head at Parker.

“Um, or…maybe we can draw?”

Sophie nodded.

“Yeah, let’s draw,” Parker said, guiding the girl up the stairs. “I’ve got lots of pencils and stuff.”

The girl looked somewhat disappointed, but followed her anyway.

As soon as they were gone, Nate’s expression hardened.

“Somehow I don’t think it’s me and Sophie you need to be talking to. In fact, the talk you need to have is about nine years overdue, am I right?”

“Nate, you have to understand—”

“You kept him from his child!”

“I didn’t know where he was! I tried to find him, but he didn’t want to be found!”

Nate started to speak again when Sophie put a firm hand on his arm to quiet him.

“Let’s go get that tea,” she said gently, leading the other two to the kitchenette, where she prepared a third cup.

“When Eliot left, I didn’t know I was pregnant,” Aimee continued, once she had the warm mug in her hands. “I had just gotten married, and he took off.”

“And by the time you knew…” Sophie said sympathetically.

“He was just—gone. No one could find him. And when I didn’t hear from him at all for so long, well, I started to think maybe he was dead. I really didn’t think I would ever see him again.”

With a deep sigh, Nate got up and poured himself a whiskey, rubbing his forehead before he took a long sip. “So—why come to us first?”

“When you came down to help my dad, I could tell that Eliot wasn’t the same. Whatever he was doing during those eight years, it changed him.”

Nate simply nodded and took another sip of his drink.

“But when you all started working to take down Voss, I started to see the old Eliot again. So I thought that what he needed then wasn’t a kid—it was more time with his team, so he could find himself again. I haven’t talked to him since you all left, so I needed to ask you two: Is he ready?”

Sophie smiled and opened her mouth to speak when Eliot and Hardison barreled through the door.

“I don’t care that it’s Wednesday, or why that’s important—I’m not going to the comic shop with you!” Eliot growled. “Like an hour in the van with you yapping about the new Transformers movie wasn’t enough.”

Nate raised a finger to get their attention, but they were too absorbed in their argument to notice the three people standing in the kitchenette.

“It’s all fighting and explosions—your two favorite things!” Hardison said. “How can you not like those movies?”

“Because they’re fighting robots! It’s not—“ Eliot stopped and clenched his fists in annoyance. “I’m not having this argument with you again.”

A loud whoop made them both look up at the staircase. A young girl came flying down the railing and fell off the end, hitting the hardwood floor and rolling over a few times before popping back up on her feet.

“That was awesome, Parker!” she called as her new friend followed her gingerly down the stairs.

“Hey, nice roll,” Eliot said. “Who’s this?”

Parker clamped her lips shut, so Eliot looked to the child. Her hair was hanging in her eyes, and she flicked it away with a practiced toss of her head.

“I’m Spencer.”

“How ’bout that?” he said cheerfully. “My last name’s—”

He stopped when he noticed Hardison and Parker looking at each other with widened eyes, and quickly turned to check his surroundings. That’s when he finally saw his former girlfriend, standing at the kitchen counter with Nate and Sophie. Aimee looked up at him guiltily.

“Hi, Eliot.”

Continue to Chapter Two: Eliot

Leverage Fic: The Apple, Prologue (Aimee, Willie, Eliot, OFCs) PG

2010-08-03T01:34:51Z

Title: Prologue to "The Apple"
Characters: Aimee, Willie, implied Eliot/Aimee
Word Count: ~380
Rating: PG
Summary: Aimee and her father discuss her past—and future—with Eliot.
Spoilers: For “The Two-Horse Job” (1x3).
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Leverage. Wish I were.
Notes: I had to rewatch “The Two-Horse Job” after seeing “The Studio Job,” and then a little ficlet popped into my head. This prologue was that ficlet, but then some of my flisters prompted me to make this into a larger story. Feedback is appreciated.

~*~*~*~

Aimee and Willie watched the team drive off, their car sending up a swirl of dust as they turned out of the driveway.

“So he’s just gonna leave again?” Willie asked his daughter.

“I let him go, Dad,” Aimee said, still gazing out at the spot where Eliot and his team had disappeared onto the highway. “He’s not ready yet.”

“Not ready yet?” Willie scoffed.

Aimee shook her head sadly. “I don’t know exactly what he got himself into eight years ago, but he’s different now…broken, sort of. I don’t know. But this thing he’s involved in? Helping people? I think it’s helping him.”

“I thought you two were…” Willie cleared his throat loudly. “…back on good terms.”

“Um, yeah,” Aimee replied, blushing and avoiding her father’s eyes. “But I can’t ask him to leave that team. He needs them right now—they get him better than I do, I think.”

A small hatchback came up the drive and Aimee waved to her friend behind the wheel.

“Someday soon, but not yet,” she said to her father as they both watched the car.

Aimee gasped aloud when one of the back doors flew open and a little girl came bounding out, nearly pitching face-first into the gravel. When the child quickly regained her footing and flashed her a devilish grin, Aimee just sighed in annoyance.

“Spencer Marie! What did I tell you about jumping out of the car before it’s stopped?”

The girl ran into her arms and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m fine, Mom! Just a little scrape here.” She backed up to show her mother the wound on her hand. “It doesn’t hurt. I’m not a baby—I’m almost 8.”

She took off running toward the stable, her thick, brown hair, curly from the heat, bouncing behind her.

Aimee rolled her eyes as her friend approached. “Thanks for watching her, Sara—I know she’s a handful.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised I’m bringing her back to you in one piece,” Sara said with a chuckle.

Willie snickered. “Well, you know what they say about the apple…”

“Dad…” Aimee said warningly.

“What? It’s just a saying.”

“Mom! Grandpa! Watch this!”

The three adults turned to see the little girl standing on the stable roof, ready to jump into the bed of her grandfather’s pickup. Aimee’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Get down from there!”

“Here I go—1…2…”

“SPENCER!”

Continue to Chapter One: Spencer