Where the Creative Rises

tvcharacter20: 20 misc tv-shows icons for Round #72

vickysg1 — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 16:40:59 GMT

[x]20 misc tv-shows icons for Round #72 @ tvcharacter20

Spoilers up to "Great Balls of Fire" Part Two (10-02) for Murdoch Mysteries.

Teasers

10 THEMES [Favorites]

canceled	color	fight	guest star	hairstyle


location	on air	outfit	promo pic	scene

Category - Favorite characters

#1-female	#2-male	#3-couple	#4-family	#5-bff

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

tvcharacter20: 20 Phryne Fisher icons for Round #66

vickysg1 — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 18:05:45 GMT

[x] 20 Phryne Fisher icons for Round #66 @ tvcharacter20

Teasers

10 THEMES

dangerous	frame	full body	levels	love interest


ooc	outside	rotate	stripes	strong

Category - Same Cap + Techniques

#1-text	#2-fake background	#3-texture	#4-one color	#5-odd crop

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

tvcharacter20: 20 Miscellaneous Shows Icons for Round #65

vickysg1 — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 20:25:44 GMT

[x] 20 Miscellaneous Shows Icons for Round #65 @ tvcharacter20

Teasers

10 THEMES

alone + negative space	ended	face	floral	good vs. evil


name	out of the box	royalty	yellow	young

Category - Top 5 OTPs

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

tvcharacter20: 20 Julia Ogden icons for Round #64

vickysg1 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 09:45:13 GMT

[x] 20 Julia Ogden icons for Round #64 @ tvcharacter20. Spoilers up to 'Wild Child' (9-14)

Teasers

10 THEMES

best friend	character steal*	close crop	determined	first episode


party time	red	right	still	weak

Category - Same Scene + Plus One

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

* Nikola Tesla (Sanctuary), whom I chose for two reasons: 1. I love Nikola, 2. Tesla is actually a character in Murdoch Mysteries, though not played by Jonathon Young (who played another character in another episode).

tvcharacter20: 20 Regina Mills/Evil Queen Icons for Round #63

vickysg1 — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 18:41:36 GMT

[x] 20 Regina Mills/Evil Queen icons for Round #63 @ tvcharacter20 (Spoilers up to "Swan Song")

Teasers

10 THEMES

alive	b&w + colored background	euphoria	favorite feature	grunge


negative space	ooc	pale colors	red text	unique crop

Category - Magnifying Glass

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

Fic: The Two Grifters Job

vickysg1 — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 13:33:50 GMT

Title: The Two Grifters Job
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Leverage
Characters/Pairings: Sophie Devereaux, Tara Cole, Nathan Ford. Nate/Sophie.
Category: Friendship, romance
Summary: Neither of them had thought that they could be friends, one day.
Word Count: 5062
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's note: This fic was written back in December for the Secret Santa at leveragexchange. alinaandalion’s prompt was "Sophie and Tara on adventures". It turned out longer than I thought, and I hope that you will like it. Part four is a crossover with Body of Proof.

One.

This isn’t going well, Sophie thought for the third time since she set foot in the mansion. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong, but she knew that her carefully devised plan was going to meet a hitch.

Her eyes scanned the room, looking for familiar faces. She expected to see Nathan Ford or James Sterling – that would explain the feeling she was having – but neither man seemed to be here. She wasn’t certain whether to be relieved or disappointed.

On her third sweep of the room, she still hadn’t found the source of her worry, and she was almost tempted to leave without what she came for. She believed in the “better be safe than sorry” line, and she knew she would have other opportunities to get her hands on it later.

She was about to leave the room when she noticed a blonde woman hanging onto her mark’s arm. Sophie had no doubt that this mysterious blonde was the one who prompted this feeling of unease in her. She observed as the newcomer was tapping on her mark’s chest with her bag, laughing at what he just said. She was a grifter, that was for sure, and Sophie wasn’t known to let her marks fall into another grifter’s hands that easily.

Grabbing two Champagne glasses from a passing waiter, she set off towards the two. She smiled, perfectly in her role, as she stopped beside them.

“Here you are, Paolo,” she said, handing him one of the glasses. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I’m sorry, cara mia,” he replied in a strong Italian accent. “I had to step out to make a call.”

“A problem at work?” she asked, concerned.

It wasn’t just an act; his job was a demanding one, and if he were to leave, she would have to follow, without her prize. It was one thing to leave early if she was the one making the decision, another to have the decision made for her.

“Nothing to worry about, for now. We can enjoy the party.”

“Good. And who’s your friend?” she asked, sending a smile the blonde’s way.

“Pardon me. This is Diane Proctor. Diane, this is Felicity Shaw. Diane is here on behalf of a very important art collector,” Paolo added as the two women shook hands.

Sophie saw a hint of recognition in the other woman’s eyes; they might never have met, but she had heard of Felicity Shaw, before. It was, after all, a well-known alias of Sophie’s in the grifters’ world. The brunette wondered if “Diane” would leave now that she knew that there was another grifter in the room. Had she been her, she would have risen to the challenge and tried to get to her prize, even with someone else after it. So she wasn’t surprised when she saw the determination in the blonde’s eyes: the game was on.

It had been a while since Sophie last had competition, and a part of her was really looking forward to see how the evening would play out. For the time being, though, she took the arm Paolo was offering her, and the three of them started to walk around the room. She didn’t mind “Diane” staying with them; it allowed them to keep an eye on each other, but Sophie knew that at some point, if she wanted to get her hands on what she had come for in the first place, she would have to leave their company.

An hour later, Sophie was leaving the mansion alone, but with the necklace she had been after safely tucked in her purse. She would be out of town before they even noticed the theft and out of the country before they realised that it was her doing. She would miss Paolo but he had only been a mean to an end; she would never have thought it would be so easy to play a police officer. One just didn’t notice what was happening right before their eyes, she guessed.

As the taxi drove her to the train station, where her luggage was already waiting for her, her mind drifted to the blond grifter. They had been after the same necklace, and if Sophie had been the one to get it, in the end, it had been a close call. She had lost track of the other woman right at the time she made her move, and, for a moment, she had thought she would be too late. She hadn’t been, and when their eyes had met while Sophie was making her exit, it had been clear that the blonde was up for a rematch. Sophie had no doubt that “Diane” was a talented grifter; one had to be in order to enter a room filled with undercover police officers, after all.

Their paths would cross again, Sophie was sure of that, she was even looking forward to it, and when it would happened, she would be prepared.

It took her sources some time to put a name on her face: Tara Cole. A fake name, she was certain, but it wasn’t like Sophie was her real name either.

###

Two.

Nate had broken her, he had broken them all. He had changed them into good guys, and try as she might, Sophie just couldn’t go back to her old ways.

But while she didn’t feel like grifting for her own profit anymore, she still had her aliases to take care of; they might still come in handy to her, one day. That was why she was at a fundraiser in Austin, Texas, an event Indira McAllister had to attend. With it taking place at the Blanton Museum of Art, she would not have usually left empty handed. But not tonight. Tonight, she would just talk to the other attendees, and she wouldn’t even try to seduce one of them for a later purpose.

Nate really had broken her.

Smiling to the couple she had been talking to, she excused herself, and turned around only to bump into someone. When she raised her eyes, she was surprised to find those of Tara Cole.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Tara said, reacting first. “You ok?”

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry for bumping into you.”

“It’s alright. There are so many people inside that it’s a wonder no one has been hurt, yet. Claire Montfort,” Tara introduced herself, holding her hand out to Sophie.

“Indira McAllister.” They shook hands before Sophie continued. “I was just going to get a drink. Could I offer you one as an apology?”

“I thought that it was an open bar?” Tara replied with a smile.

“Precisely. Shall we?”

Tara nodded before following Sophie to the bar. With their drinks in hand, Sophie then led Tara to a more secluded area where there was no chance of being overheard.

“I didn’t think I’d be seeing you here, tonight,” Tara said. “Word is on the street that you’re not playing on your own anymore.”

“Really?” Sophie said, uneasy. While it was true, she didn’t want it to be widely known; the success of Nate’s cons depended on them not being found out. She felt a pang in her heart as she realised that it didn’t matter anymore as that part was over, too. “Well, you know what they say about rumours, Tara,” she resumed. “They aren’t based on facts.”

“I believe this one is,” Tara replied, but she continued before Sophie could add anything. “So what are you here for, then?”

“Just some Italian painting,” Sophie said, choosing not to elaborate for now. “I hope we’re not after the same one, this time.”

“I doubt we are. Well, I should go, now. I still have a lot to do.”

And with that, Tara was gone.

Sophie realised that with the woman here, the evening wouldn’t be as boring as she had expected it to be. Her plan had been to leave at the start of the fundraiser. Now, she thought she should stick around long enough to see how the blonde fared.

And what she saw next convinced her even more that she had to stay: James Sterling had just entered the room. His eyes scanned the crowd, but instead of falling on her, like she had thought they would, they stopped on Tara. She saw Sterling smile and then proceed to make sure she didn’t notice him.

Hidden from his sight, Sophie kept studying him. She didn’t know what he was doing here of all places. When they had taken Ian Blackpool down, Sterling had become vice president of I.Y.S.. Surely, he had other things to do now than chase after an art thief.

It looked like she had been wrong and there were still some cases he wanted to follow.

She shouldn’t have been so surprised; she had known him for years and she knew that, once he was onto someone, it wasn’t easy for him to let go. On that aspect, he was very much like Nate. Her lips stretched into a small smile as she remembered Parker calling him an “Evil Nate”, once.

Sophie saw Tara moving towards the doors leading to the closed areas, apparently ready to go after her prize. Sterling noticed her too but he stayed put, which surprised her; he had to have something else planned.

As surreptitiously as she could, she made her way towards the exit and, sure enough, she recognized two of his men talking on the phone before making their way towards the rear entrance, where Tara would leave the museum. Sterling was only staying inside in case he had been wrong with this assumption, but he wouldn’t be.

She decided to follow at a safe distance, to help Tara if needed.

The blond grifter hadn’t lost any time to get what she came for and she was already exiting the museum when the two men, followed by Sophie, rounded the last corner.

“Stop right there,” one of them said, surprising Tara who did as she was told. “Now, turn around. Slowly.”

Sophie knew that she had to act now if she wanted to help Tara because Sterling would soon be here. She stepped out of the shadow and stopped just a few feet behind them.

“Hello, boys,” she said.

It startled them just enough for them to turn their heads into her direction. That was all Tara needed to run towards the streets.

“I’ll stay here with her, you catch her,” the tallest of the two said, grabbing Sophie’s arm.

“Ow! Who said you could put your hands on me?” she said, indignantly, hitting him with her bag at the same time.

“Hey, stop that!”

But she wouldn’t; she knew she wasn’t hurting him, just annoying him and it amused her. She had already accomplished her goal by distracting them long enough for Tara to leave, the rest was just acting, and she was a good actress, no matter what some people thought.

“What’s going on here?” Sterling’s voice sounded behind her.

Instinctively, she stopped. She turned towards him as best as she could with his man still holding onto her arm and flashed him a smile.

“Sophie Devereaux, I’ll be damned.”

“Hello Sterling. Tell him to let me go, will you?” she asked, and Sterling gestured for the man to do as she said. “It wouldn’t hurt you to be a little more considerate to women, you know. I bruise easily,” she added, rubbing her arm.

“What are you doing here, Sophie? Working on your own again?”

“I’m attending a fundraiser. I didn’t know it was a crime.”

“Oh, it could be when you’re involved.”

“Sir, she helped Cole escape,” the man said, just as his partner came running back towards them, alone.

Sterling closed his eyes and sighed, wondering why he was stuck with incompetents.

“Of course, she did,” he said, his eyes returning to Sophie. “I suppose you’re proud of yourself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“And I suppose that if I were to search you, or your bag, I wouldn’t find anything.”

Sophie shrugged and offered him her bag, but he didn’t make a move towards it. She waited until he sent his men to the car to look for Tara, even though they all knew that she was long gone by now. Still, it was probably better for them than to stay beside Sterling at the moment.

“Are you working with her?” he asked, once they were alone.

“No.”

“But you know her.”

“I might have met her a couple of times,” she admitted.

“Is it true that you only came here to attend the fundraiser?” he asked, but before she could answer, he continued. “He changed you.”

“Can I go?” she asked, knowing that he had nothing to hold her; he didn’t really care about her helping Tara.

He gestured for her to go, but as she passed him, he stopped her again.

“Tell him I’m looking forward to arrest him next time.”

She moved away without a word. She wanted to be able to pass the message along to Nate, but she couldn’t. The team was gone.

Later that night, when she stepped into her hotel room, Sophie noticed a piece of paper lying on her bed. She picked it up. She saw that there were only three words written on it, no signature. She smiled.

I owe you.

###

Three.

“So… How’s Nate?” Tara asked over the phone one day.

Sophie sighed. It had always been a difficult question to answer, but recently, it was even more so. She hadn’t seen him since they had left Boston for good. She knew he needed some alone to accept his father’s death. Meanwhile, she barely had news; a text came every other day, assuring her he was fine and he was still on his boat. She had no idea when or even where she would see him again. Granted, they had spent months without seeing each other before, but it had been before them, and she missed him.

“Still sailing, uh?” Tara deduced from her sigh. “You know what you need? You need to stop looking at the ocean in the hope of finding him there and do something productive.”

“I’m not looking at the ocean…” Sophie replied, walking away from the docks and wondering whether Tara could hear the waves crashing against the boats.

“I can hear it, Sophie,” Tara said, thus answering her silent question. “I’ll be here in the morning and you and I are going to have some fun.”

“Tara…”

“See you tomorrow!” the blonde grifter said, and she hang up before Sophie had a chance to say a word.

Sophie rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics, but, truthfully, she was grateful. Tara was right, getting back in the game would be fun. Still, she would have liked making the decision herself. She had never liked others making the decisions for her, unless it was for a con. There she trust Nate enough, even though he often let her have the last word on her parts.

But once Tara had made up her mind on something, she wouldn’t be deterred. Today, it was to take Sophie out of her self-imposed misery. (She was anything but miserable, thank you very much. She was just missing him. A lot.)

And sure enough, the next morning, the blonde was at Sophie’s door, although the latter had no idea how she got her current address.

“Are you ready to get away from here?” Tara asked, walking past Sophie and into the apartment.

“And where are we going?”

“I’ve been working on a little something these past few months, but I think that the final act will be even better if we work together on it.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“What if I told you “Czar Nicholas”?”

Sophie didn’t have to think long before answering.

“The Lost Crown Jewels? I’d say it ought to be fun”, she replied with a Russian accent.

“I thought you might like it.”

They shared a smile; it wasn’t often that they got to work together, and they always enjoyed it when it happened. Of course, the last time had also involved a bomb, something Sophie didn’t like to remember.

When they had met, seven years ago, they had been after the same necklace, adversaries, so to speak. It wasn’t until after Tara had helped the team when Sophie had needed time for herself that they started working together, occasionally. While Sophie enjoyed working with Nate, Parker, Eliot and Hardison, it was different when it came to working with Tara because they were both grifters and instinctively knew how to play off of each other.

“Seriously, though. How’s Nate?” Tara asked, stopping Sophie’s trail of thoughts.

“He’s taking his father’s death harder than any of us, himself included, thought he would. He blames himself for not seeing it coming. After everything, he needed some time to get his priorities in order.”

“You being one of them?”

Sophie didn’t have to answer the question; she knew the answer to it, and so did Tara. She wouldn’t be here, waiting for him to come back, if she wasn’t. She would be out there somewhere, getting her hands on some jewellery or a painting.

“You know,” Tara continued, “you two certainly took your sweet time.”

“The path hasn’t been free of obstacles,” Sophie reminded. “But we’re at a good place, now. I don’t know where we’re going, or if we’re even going somewhere, but I’m fine with that.”

Tara smiled before walking towards the door as she noticed that Sophie had gathered everything she would need. The conversation was over; neither wanted to say or hear more about it.

~~~

Sophie and Tara discussed the plan on the private plane that was taking them to their destination. How Tara had commandeered it, Sophie didn’t know and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to; there were some things that should stay a mystery forever. Tara had the jewels waiting for them at a safe house, and they would only need to get them on their way to their mark.

“Are you sure they look convincing enough to pass off as the real Lost Crown Jewels of Czar Nicholas?” Sophie asked; she’d rather not deal with Russians unless she was certain she wouldn’t be unmasked.

“They might not be the real deal, but I can assure you that they would fool even the world’s expert on the subject. And as it is, we’re going to the third best.”

“Why? The first two weren’t available?” Sophie joked. “What gave you the idea, anyway?”

“It’s just a mystery that I’ve always found fascinating. Knowing that such a treasure was hidden somewhere, maybe buried in the Gobi Desert if the legend is true, that’s just amazing, don’t you think?”

Sophie had to admit that she, too, had some fascination for this lost treasure. Who wouldn’t with the history surrounding these jewels? But she had never thought of even exploring the subject from a grifter’s point of view before. She had to hand it to Tara, she had planned everything and asked her to work on it too. She seemed to have everything covered, and Sophie now had enough experience from working with Nate to have several back-up plans – B through G at the moment, more to come – should anything go wrong with Tara’s.

A car was waiting for them when the plane touched down, and they drove to Tara’s safe house to get the jewels and review the plan one last time. Sophie kept her own plans to herself, not because she didn’t trust Tara, but because she wanted to show her that she did; if the blonde knew that there were back-up plans, she didn’t say anything.

In the end, Tara’s plan worked just as they hoped it would. The appraiser had been completely fooled by the fake jewels that he estimated to be priceless.

“I think I can think of a price,” Sophie had said at that point.

“We’re happy that they will finally be back where they belong,” Tara had added.

“It is a great chance that you have found them and realised how important they are,” the appraiser had continued. “The Russian people will be forever grateful for this present.”

A short while later, they exited the house with a bag full of cash. They had no idea how long the deception would last, but they had no intention of being anywhere close by when it was finally revealed. Sophie didn’t know if she should tell the team about this con. Maybe one day, but for the moment, it was something that would stay between her and Tara.

“Thank you for your help,” Tara said, as the plane flew them back to Portland.

“I know you didn’t really need me, so thank you for taking me along. I needed it, even though I didn’t want to admit it.”

The rest of the flight was spent talking about the team, and what Parker, Hardison and Eliot were up to during this break.

When Sophie left the plane, she didn’t take her share of the money; the time she had spent with Tara was more than enough.

###

Four.

Tara’s call came just as they were about to leave Paris for Venice. Changing their plane tickets had been easy enough, and they were now waiting in line to board their flight to Philadelphia.

“We’ll just have to finish our trip down memory lane, later,” Sophie said. “After all, we have time, now.”

“Indeed,” Nate replied, leaning down to kiss her lips. “Did Tara sound worried on the phone?”

“A bit, yes. She’s certainly anxious to see us. It’s an important matter from what she said, but she refused to elaborate.”

Nate was quiet during the flight, and Sophie knew that he was thinking about what was to come. Even though he didn't know what Tara needed them for, it didn't stop him from making up plans that would ensure their safety. She still didn't know in which one she was dying. So far, everything she had done to find out had failed but she wouldn't give up.

To be honest, Sophie was worried about her friend. Tara had never asked for help before. For her to do so meant her problem had to be quite serious. She hoped that she wasn't in any danger, but she wouldn't know for certain until they saw her.

~~~

“Are you sure we’re at the right place?” Nate asked as the taxi dropped them off in front of the Philadelphia County Medical Center.

“Positive. Look for yourself,” she said, showing her the text that Tara had sent her. “We are to ask about a Kate Murphy.”

“Well, then, let’s go.”

Inside the building, they were directed to the elevators. A redhead followed them inside, and they went to the same floor. Once arrived, the redhead went one way, and stepped to the reception desk.

“Hello, we’re looking for Kate Murphy.”

“Is Doctor Murphy expecting you?” the receptionist asked.

“Yes.”

“Ah, here you are,” Tara said as she walked towards them. “Let’s go to my office.”

Neither Nate nor Sophie said anything, understanding that, whatever was going on, it was better if no one was listening. Still, they had many questions to ask her, and they didn’t just want to know what she had called them about. They were curious about the place and the title she seemed to have.

Tara closed her office door behind them before turning towards Nate and Sophie, knowing that she had some explaining to do.

“Doctor Murphy?” Nate asked, raising an eyebrow.

“This is a part of my life that you should never have learnt about,” Tara said. “Kate Murphy is my real name. I’m the Chief Medical Examiner, here. Tara and my other aliases are a way to escape all of this.”

To say that Nate and Sophie were surprised by this revelation would have been an understatement. They certainly hadn’t expected this when they had received her call, and even less when they had first met her.

“I know this is quite the surprise, and I will explain everything, but not now. Now, I need your help. An intern who worked at the City Hall was found dead. From what her roommate told us, she had an affair with someone she worked with, but we have no way of knowing who it is. There’s no trail, no phone calls, no text messages, no e-mails, nothing. Without evidence, we can’t investigate, and we’re this close to having Doctor Hunt marching in the Mayor’s office. While I understand her frustration, we can’t have that. It would ruin our chance to apprehend them.”

“What do you want from us?” Sophie asked.

“Find a way inside, try to find out who the lover is. I don’t need you to bring me evidence; I don’t want you to. Just find us a way in, anything. Look, I know that I might be asking for too much, especially since you’re both retired, but no one here wants to see a killer walk away unpunished.”

“Do you think the lover is the killer?”

“I don’t know, but sometimes, they’re one and the same. Detective Sullivan and Lucas are looking for other suspects, but for the moment, they have nothing. It’s already been two weeks, and we have no lead. No one here wants this one to become a cold case.

"We're going to help you," Sophie said after sharing a look with Nate. "Now, we need a way in."

"I have one. I have to go to a function at City Hall, tonight. Sophie should come with me and Nate could monitor everything from my apartment. There are cameras everywhere there, I'm sure Hardison could remotely access them so you can see everything on my computer."

"You seem to have everything planned," Nate said. "I will ask Hardison to access the security cameras but I won't be at your place. He'll monitor them and I'll be close by in case you need me with a feed on my phone, just in case."

"See? I didn't have everything planned."

They shared a smile but before any of them could add anything, the door opened on the redhead Nate and Sophie had seen before.

"Kate, we need to..." Megan stopped when she saw that her boss wasn't alone in her office. "Oh..."

"Megan! Is there anything you need?"

"Nothing that can't wait. I'll come back later."

"That was Doctor Hunt that I mentioned earlier," Kate said once the redhead had left her office. "Anyway, so do we agree on this plan?"

~~~

Sophie and Tara arrived at City Hall fashionably late that evening. They walked around, talking to people Kate was familiar with for over an hour, until Nate talked to them through their earpieces.

"The guy with the red tie in the back of the room, he's sad and worried at the same time. I believe that's your victim's lover."

"Should we go talk to him now?" Sophie asked Tara.

"I don't want to tip him off if he's the killer."

"He's not," Hardison said. “I’ve looked into him, and he wasn’t anywhere near Philly when your victim died. Her direct supervisor, on the other hand…”

“What about him?”

“Well I know his job pays well, but not to the point of paying cash for a yacht.”

“Are you saying he was bribed?”

“I’m not saying anything, yet.”

“Well, there’s one way to find out,” Nate said. “He’s responsible of the building permits, right?”

“Right,” Tara replied.

“Well, let’s go steal an empty lot.”

“Doesn’t he ever get tired of saying that?” Tara asked.

“Never,” Sophie and Hardison answered at the same time.

“In the meantime, let’s go get another glass of champagne,” Tara told Sophie.

###

Five.

“This is downright frightening,” Sterling told Nate.

They were sipping whisky while looking at Sophie, Tara and Maggie. The three of them were at the bar, talking to some guys. It was obvious, at least to the trained eyes of Nate and Sterling, that they were conning them, but the men were none the wiser.

“Shouldn’t we warn them?”

“Where would be the fun in that?” Nate replied with a smirk.

Sterling had to admit that he had a point; it was quite entertaining to watch the three women together. He hadn’t been sure about coming, at first, his relationship with Nate and his team still being a bit strained, even now that he and Sophie were working for him from time to time, but he was glad he had let Maggie and Olivia convince him. Speaking of his daughter, she was now with Parker, who was…

“Is Parker teaching my daughter how to pick a lock?” Sterling asked Nate, who redirected his glance back at the two blondes.

“She is. Try to see it that way: she could teach her to pick pockets.”

Sterling wasn’t certain it was a comforting thought; the way the night seemed to be going, it might happen before they left. Sighing, he turned back towards the bar.

“I can’t believe Sophie and Maggie are friends now.”

“Tell me about it,” Nate said before finishing his glass and gesturing for the waiter for another.

At the bar, the three women were starting to get a bit tired of the three men surrounding them. It had been fun at first; Maggie had enjoyed grifting along Sophie and Tara, picking up some things for later use, and they had been offered drinks, but now, the men started to be boring. And they didn’t seem to take a hint. The three women shared a look, and realised that there was just one way to get rid of them.

“Shall we go home?” Maggie asked her two friends. “It’s getting late,” she added, with a pout.

“We should, don’t you think, Tara?” Sophie said.

“Yes, we should,” the blonde grifter replied, before leaning in towards Sophie.

On the other side of the room, Nate and Sterling’s jaws dropped.

“Did they just... kiss?” Sterling asked.

Before Nate could answer, Tara was leaning towards Maggie, this time, and pressed their lips together.

“What the hell is going on, here?” Eliot asked, standing behind the two former insurance investigators.

“Shut up, man and enjoy!” Hardison said, prompting Nate and Sterling to turn and look at him. “Well, I mean… Nevermind,” he finished, knowing that he would only make things worse.

They watched as the three women left the bar together, their arms linked. The men they had been conning were left as stunned as their friends, and if the latters had noticed that, they would have laughed. But as it was, their minds were still on the scene they had just witnessed.

Outside, Sophie, Tara and Maggie had stopped just around the corner, laughing too much to continue walking.

“Well done, ladies,” Sophie said. “I believe that they don’t know what hit them.”

“And did you notice that Nate, James, Eliot and Hardison were looking at us, too?” Maggie said. “I believe we managed to surprise them, too.”

“How long do you think it’ll take them to come and find us?” Tara asked them.

“I think we have time to go back to the hotel and have a few drinks on them,” Sophie answered.

“We should do that again, soon,” Maggie said as Tara was hailing a cab.

“Which one? Kiss or have a night out?” Sophie replied, prompting the three women to start laughing again.

Fin.

tvcharacter20: 20 Misc Shows Icons

vickysg1 — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:08:53 GMT

[x] 20 Miscellaneous Shows icons for Round 50 @ tvcharacter20

Teasers

10 THEMES

badass	happy	hero	off air	on air


red + green	ship + negative space	supernatural	villain	winter wonderland

Decade*

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

* I chose shows that lasted exactly 10 seasons. In the order: JAG, Friends, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Stargate SG1, CSI: Miami.

once20in20: 20 General Series icons for Round 20

vickysg1 — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 19:20:17 GMT

[x] 20 General Series icons for Round 20 @ once20in20

Teasers

themes

close crop	ns + solid background	pensive	text	no eyes


beginning	good	touch	looking down	centre crop

category – colour bar

cat 1	cat 2	cat 3	cat 4	cat 5

artist’s choice

artist's choice 1	artist's choice 2	artist's choice 3	artist's choice 4	artist's choice 5

20in20s icons (Murdoch Mysteries, Charmed)

vickysg1 — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 17:41:12 GMT

[x] 20 Julia Ogden icons for Round 48 @ tvcharacter20 (Spoilers up to 'Glory Days')
[x] 20 Season 6 icons for Round 33 @ charmed20in20

Teasers

10 THEMES

costume	internet slang	mistake	orange	pastel


smile	solid background	sorrow	spooked	three

Deadly Sins

#1 Wrath	#2 Sloth	#3 Pride	#4 Lust	#5 Envy

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

Teasers

themes

close crop	dark	transformed	pastel	in the manor


small	heartbreak	hair	vibrant	outside

category – no eyes

cat 1	cat 2	cat 3	cat 4	cat 5

artist’s choice

artist's choice 1	artist's choice 2	artist's choice 3	artist's choice 4	artist's choice 5

sparktober: Let me be there when you fall

vickysg1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:33:46 GMT

Title: Let me be there when you fall
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Word Count: 1,119
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, John/Elizabeth
Summary: She wanted to be here for him, just like he was here for her.
Series: Through the Years #8
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's Note: Written for my sparktober Bingo Card #8 "Critical Mass". It follows up the fics I've started to write for the same Bingo Card and that you can find here. Happy Sparktober! And thanks to my beta, silecet!

It was late, but Elizabeth couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to sleep.

As she stood on the balcony, the events of the day keep replaying in her head. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing her people working frantically to save Atlantis. And while they did save their City, she knew that she had lost part of herself today. A part of herself that she would never be able to get back.

She heard the door open and close behind her. She didn’t turn around; she knew that, on this particular night, only one person would seek her out. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Chuck was at his station, preventing anyone else to disturb her. But John, he wouldn’t stop, not because he was his superior, but because he knew she would welcome his presence.

John walked to the railing and stopped right beside her, their shoulders not quite touching. She heard him take a deep breath and realised that today had been hard on him too. Even though he kept it for himself, John had been as affected by the day’s events as she had been. But he hadn’t mentioned it, choosing to place her well-being before his own. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, but, each time, she was surprised by how selfless John could be.

She had almost always tried to return his gesture, but he had always refused it, saying that he was fine, even though they both knew that it was a lie. She had never pushed, having understood early on that they were the same and that, just like her, he would close off if she tried.

Tonight, though, she wanted it to be different. She wanted him to understand that he could – and should – draw comfort from her, just like she did from him. Tonight, more than any other nights, she needed this reciprocity. Maybe she was being a little selfish, because she knew she would do this for herself just as much as for him, but today, they had almost lost everything, including their own lives. Tonight, she just wouldn’t – couldn’t – take no for an answer.

Even so Elizabeth knew John, and she knew that she shouldn’t rush him. If she wanted him to open up, she needed to take things slow. She guessed that this was where her training as a diplomat would come to use.

The first small step she took was to put her hand on John’s on the railing. She could feel him tense slightly beside her, before he relaxed once more. When he turned his hand to link their fingers, she took it as a small victory. If she had learned one thing about John Sheppard in the past year, it was that he was uncomfortable with someone touching him, so him taking the second step gave Elizabeth hope that tonight, he would be willing to open up.

Turning her head to look at him, she squeezed his hand. His eyes met hers and she could see that he was past tired, just like she was, but unable to shut down. She opened her mouth to speak, but he was ahead of her.

“I’m fine,” he said, lying once again.

“No, you’re not. And neither am I. And after a day like this, I would be worried if we were.”

“Elizabeth…”

“John, please,” she interrupted him before he could go any further. “Let me do this, let me be here for you.”

She could see in his eyes that he was hesitating. She had learned to read him, to the point where, most of the time, they didn’t need words to communicate, and right now, she knew that, if she made the right move, he would finally let go.

She didn’t think much when she let go of his hand to wrap her arms around his neck, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Much like their first – and only until tonight – hug, John tensed at first. For a second, she was worried that it was the wrong move, and that he was going to push away. But then, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, tighter than he did the time before, tighter than anyone had ever hugged her.

She let her eyes close and took comfort in being in his arms, hoping that he was doing the same.

She didn’t know how long they stayed like this; it could have been a minute like it could have been an hour. The only thing she was aware of was her body starting to relax. She was slowly letting go of all the tension of the day, and she wasn’t the only one. Under her hands, she could feel John’s shoulders drop slightly with each breath he took. She smiled a little, happy that he was finally allowing her to help him.

A yawn escaped her before she could stop it, and John slowly pulled away. He kept his hands on her arms as he looked at her, a knowing smile on his face.

“I think someone needs to get some sleep.”

“I’m not tired,” Elizabeth protested, not willing to let the moment go, before a second yawn betrayed her.

John raised an eyebrow, in a perfect imitation of her face when she wasn’t convinced by one of his ideas. She held his stare, but had to admit defeat when she yawned for a third time.

“Come on, let’s get you back to your quarters.”

He let go of her arms, and put a hand to the small of her back to lead her towards the doors. She had to quell her disappointment when his hand fell away once they were inside and in view of the night crew.

When they were standing in front of her quarters, her door opened, she turned towards him.

“We’ll be fine,” he said before she even had the chance to open her mouth.

“We will. Thank you, John,” she added.

She wasn’t really sure what she was thanking him for, whether it was for offering her comfort when she needed it, or for allowing her to comfort him. Probably both.

She smiled at him before turning away and walking inside her quarters.

“Good night, John,” she said, her hand hovering over the door sensor.

“Good night, Elizabeth.” He paused, and she was about to close the door when he continued. “And thank you.”

He didn’t wait for her to reply – there was nothing she could have said, really – and walked away towards his own quarters. She let the door close and released a sigh.

It had been a long and tiring day, one that she wouldn’t be able to forget anytime soon. But now that it was reaching an end, she was certain that good memories would outnumber the bad ones whenever she thought about it.

Fin

sparktober: Just a night off

vickysg1 — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 19:37:38 GMT

Title: Just a night off
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Word Count: 964
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, John/Elizabeth
Summary: The Athosians knew how to throw a good party.
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's Note: Written for my Sparktober Bingo Card #7 "Athosian Parties". It follows up the fics I've started to write for the same Bingo Card and that you can find here. Happy Sparktober! Thanks to my beta, silecet!

At first, Elizabeth hadn't wanted to come, not so soon after they were back in Atlantis. It had taken the combined forces of John and Teyla to convince her that leaving her City for the evening was alright.

"Come on, Elizabeth," John had said. "We'll only be on the mainland and I promise you I'll fly you back here as fast as I can if they need you."

When she finally agreed, he was beaming.

Now that she was here, she was glad she had let herself be convinced. The Athosians certainly knew how to throw a party, and everyone was having fun. Had she opted to stay in Atlantis, she would have missed out on a good evening. And she had to admit that it was nice to finally relax after days of meetings on Earth and almost three weeks cooped up in the Daedalus.

When she had arrived with John and his team, the Athosians had welcomed her warmly, happy to see her again. Apparently, what had happened a few months before was forgotten, and for that, she was grateful. The children, led by Jinto, had gathered around them, and had started talking all at once.

They were all curious about what John did when they were on Earth, and it was easy to understand why: Earth was a world so far away and yet so close at the same time to them. Elizabeth couldn't blame them for their desire to know more about it. She let John deal with the children, and followed Teyla towards Halling and the other adults.

Her relationship with the Athosians had been strained when she had thought there was a traitor among them. But since then, she had wanted to mend it and, with Teyla's help, she had succeeded. She was glad of that; relationships with other people were important in a galaxy where an enemy could strike at any time. The Athosians were also the first people the expedition had met in Pegasus, their first allies, and she had never wanted that to change.

Elizabeth talked with Halling and Charin for a while before going to sit on a log. She watched as the Athosians dance around the bonfire. Teyla had managed to drag a reluctant John into the dance, and Elizabeth smiled as he tried to mimic the moves the Athosian was showing him.

She could tell that he wasn't really trying, but she couldn't blame him; she wasn't fond of dancing either. During receptions on Earth, she had always done her best to avoid the dance floor, even when the music hadn't required anything more than swaying.

Her eyes left John to find Rodney, sitting at a table, eating. Upon their arrival, the scientist's first question had been to know whether there was any citrus in the dishes displayed. Satisfied that the food was safe, Rodney had tucked in and barely said a word since.

Carson had also accompanied them, but Elizabeth had lost sight of him soon after their arrival. She wouldn’t be surprised if the good doctor was in one of the tents, tending to the Athosians; Teyla had mentioned that some of them wanted to see him. It wasn’t Elizabeth’s idea of a party, but she knew that Carson would never turn down someone who needed his help, and that he was probably more comfortable in a tent than out there.

Her eyes returned to the makeshift dance floor, and she immediately noticed that neither John nor Teyla were dancing anymore. If she easily located the Athosian leader, she had no idea where her second in command was.

Just as she thought that, a cup of Athosian wine was presented to her. She raised her eyes and, sure enough, John was standing beside her. She took the cup with a smile, and gestured for him to sit down.

“So, are you glad I convinced you to come?”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him; she had known that it would be his first question. She raised her cup and clinked it with his before taking a sip.

“I am. Thank you, John.”

They shared a smile. A comfortable silence fell on them as they watched the Athosians partying. Their shoulders brushed, and Elizabeth was almost tempted to lean into him. Although they had had their differences, John had been a support ever since they stepped foot into the Pegasus Galaxy, and even more so during the past month.

He had been there when she had needed to vent against the IOA, but also after she came back from Simon’s on that fateful night. He had found her in the empty gym, as if he had known she needed him. He had listened as she confided in him, not saying a word, not even after she was done. She hadn’t needed him to talk, she hadn’t wanted to hear that she was better off without Simon, that it was his loss: she had just needed a shoulder to cry on, and he had been there.

He had given her the space that she had needed without knowing, and he was doing it again tonight.

If someone had told her, back in Antartica, that this man would become her closest friend, the person who knew her the best, she wouldn’t have believed them. But now, she couldn’t imagine leading the expedition without him by her side, no matter what the IOA thought.

“Thank you,” she repeated.

He said nothing, but the way he looked at her told her he knew she wasn’t just thanking him for tonight.

Feeling bold – she was sure it had something to do with the wine – she rose to her feet and turned towards John. She held her hand out to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Let’s dance.”

John finished the last of his drink and took her hand, tugging her towards the dance floor.

Fin.

20in20s icons (Once upon a Time, Downton Abbey, Charmed)

vickysg1 — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 15:43:11 GMT

[x] 20 Belle (Season 2) icons for Round 18 @ once20in20
[x] 20 Cora Crawley icons for Round 46 @ tvcharacter20
[x] 20 Prue Halliwell icons for Round 32 @ charmed20in20

Belle (Season 2) @ once20in20

themes

first episode	smile	profile	textured background	favourite moment


deco accent	darkness	hands	yellow	last episode

category – negative space + original background

cat 1	cat 2	cat 3	cat 4	cat 5

artist’s choice

artist's choice 1	artist's choice 2	artist's choice 3	artist's choice 4	artist's choice 5

Cora Crawley @ tvcharacter20

10 THEMES

background blend	big text	dark	determination	falling


levels	omg!	plus one	purple + pink	sunny

Daily Routine

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

Prue Halliwell @ charmed20in20

themes

emotional	black & white	comfort	grunge	vertical levels


provided textures	yellow	bright	full body	embrace

category – five senses

touch	sight	smell	hearing	taste

artist’s choice

artist's choice 1	artist's choice 2	artist's choice 3	artist's choice 4	artist's choice 5

20in20s icons (Charmed, Misc Shows)

vickysg1 — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 20:01:30 GMT

[x] 20 Alyssa Milano icons for Round 31 @ charmed20in20
[x] 20 Miscellaneous Shows icons for Round 45 @ tvcharacter20

Teasers

themes

hair porn	eyes	green + negative space	circles	other project


with co-star	blue & purple	red + frame	accessory	profile

category – same photoshoot

cat 1	cat 2	cat 3	cat 4	cat 5

artist’s choice

artist's choice 1	artist's choice 2	artist's choice 3	artist's choice 4	artist's choice 5

Teasers

10 THEMES

blood	classic	crossover	hair #3	makeup


out of character	pattern	power	Seinfeld	young

Facial Expressions

#1-anger	#2-fear	#3-happiness	#4-sadness	#5-surprise

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

sorkin20atoz: 20 "First Thing We do, Let's Kill All The Lawyers" icons for Round 1

vickysg1 — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 13:28:47 GMT

[x] 20 "First Thing We do, Let's Kill All The Lawyers" icons for Round 1 @ sorkin20atoz

Teasers

20 ALPHABETICAL THEMES

adorable	beginning	chase	death	ennui

failure	grace	help	individual	justice

mischief	niche	open	price	relief

soul	trust	villain	wild	young

once20in20: 20 Minor Characters Icons for Round 17

vickysg1 — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 18:19:34 GMT

[x] 20 Minor Characters Icons for Round 17 @ once20in20

Teasers

10 THEMES

Fake Background	Favorite Minor Character	Muted Coloring	Outfit	Purple


Contrast	Accessory	Glow	Dream Cast Rachel Luttrell as Jasmine	Looking Down

5 CATEGORY – FIVE ELEMENTS:

Cat 1	Cat 2	Cat 3	Cat 4	Cat 5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Artist's Choice #1	Artist's Choice #2	Artist's Choice #3	Artist's Choice #4	Artist's Choice #5

tvcharacter20: 20 Stargate SG1 icons

vickysg1 — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:08:37 GMT

[x] 20 Stargate SG1 icons for Round 44 @ tvcharacter20

Teasers

10 THEMES

black & white + close	epic	heart	loss	nerd


opening	outside	promo	shadows	yellow + negative space

Favorites

#1-character	#2-episode	#3-quote	#4-scene	#5-ship

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

20in20s icons (Charmed, Once upon a Time, Sanctuary)

vickysg1 — Thu, 29 May 2014 15:14:20 GMT

[x] 20 Helen Magnus icons for Round 43 @ tvcharacter20
[x] 20 General Series icons for Round 30 @ charmed20in20
[x] 20 A Curious Thing (3-19) icons for Round 16 @ once20in20

Helen Magnus @ tvcharacter20
10 THEMES

at rest	crushed	duotone	euphoria	first episode


from behind	grunge	two	unusual crop	white light

Color Wheel

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5

Charmed General Series @ charmed20in20

themes

fave season opener	fave halliwell	fave episode	fave costume	fave power of three moment


fave villain	fave relationship	fave season	fave non-halliwell	fave season finale

category – least favourite moments

cat 1	cat 2	cat 3	cat 4	cat 5

artist’s choice

artist's choice 1	artist's choice 2	artist's choice 3	artist's choice 4	artist's choice 5

Least favourite moments: 1. Andy's death; 2. Prue's death; 3. Cole as the Source; 4. Leo taking Piper's feeling away; 5. The Angel of Destiny freezes Leo.

A Curious Thing @ once20in20

10 THEMES

Beginning	B/W + Color	Favorite Moment	Favorite Character	Negative Space


End	Vibrant	Eyes	From Behind	Quote

5 CATEGORY – TEXT:

Cat 1	Cat 2	Cat 3	Cat 4	Cat 5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Artist's Choice #1	Artist's Choice #2	Artist's Choice #3	Artist's Choice #4	Artist's Choice #5

once20in20: 20 Outlaw Queen icons for Round 15

vickysg1 — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 15:32:09 GMT

[x] 20 Outlaw Queen icons for Round 15 @ once20in20

Teasers

10 THEMES

Love Song*	First Meeting	In FTL	Head Turn	Black & White


Levels	Blended	If Not You Then...	Required Pic	AU

5 CATEGORY – ONE EPISODE: Quiet Minds

Cat 1	Cat 2	Cat 3	Cat 4	Cat 5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Artist's Choice #1	Artist's Choice #2	Artist's Choice #3	Artist's Choice #4	Artist's Choice #5

* Lyrics from Katy Perry's Dark Horse

Comment. Take. Credit.

Fic: Running in circles (G)

vickysg1 — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:30:24 GMT

Title: Running in circles
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Leverage
Pairings: Sterling/Maggie, blink and you'll miss it Nate/Sophie
Category: Romance, friendship
Summary: When he asked Maggie to have dinner with him, Sterling hadn't thought much about it.
Word Count: 1,465
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's note: Written for melpomenethemis back in December for the Secret Santa at leveragexchange. The prompt was: "Sterling gets ready for a date with Maggie, Olivia tries to be helpful". The title comes from Coldplay's "The Scientist". This is set post-series, but no real spoilers. Many thanks to my beta, csiangel.

When he asked Maggie to have dinner with him, Sterling hadn't thought much about it. It wasn't like it would be the first time the two of them had dinner together, alone. It had happened several times in the past, both during and after her marriage with Nate. It had even happened more recently, when they found each other working in the same town again. They were friends, and things like having dinner together happened.

And so, it wasn't until he told Olivia about tonight's dinner that he realised that, this time, things might be different. At least to other people's eyes.

It was Olivia who uttered the word first: date. He hadn't presented it that way to Maggie – and until today, he had never even considered it that way – but he guessed now that, to other people like his daughter, it might look like a date. And maybe the dinner they had the week before could be seen this way too. And the one before that.

Neither he nor Maggie might have seen them that way, but, in retrospect, these dinners certainly felt like dates. He picked her up, took her to a fancy restaurant, paid for the both of them while ignoring Maggie's protest, and drove her home. So yes, to an outsider, it might look like they were dating.

He just wished Olivia hadn't told him this right before he started getting ready for his dinner with Maggie tonight. Now, he felt nervous; and if there was one thing he hated, it was to feel nervous. But he had no reason to be; in spite of what Olivia had said, both he and Maggie knew that these weren't dates, but merely dinners between two good friends. He tried hard not to think that it was how things really started between Nate and Sophie, mainly because he tried never to think about them when it wasn't work-related. And his relationship with Maggie was nothing like the one between the two thieves.

As his fingers fumbled with his tie – he seemed to have forgotten how to tie a Windsor knot – he spotted Olivia leaning against the doorjamb, a small smile on her lips.

"Something on your mind, darling?" he asked, although he was already certain of what prompted this particular smile.

She shook her head no, before walking towards him. Taking pity on him, she batted his hands away from his tie. His eyes fell on her face, and he smiled at the look of concentration he saw there. It didn't matter what she was doing – playing chess, studying, reading or even cooking – she would have that look on her face. It was a look that he had often seen on her mother's face in the past, and he knew what was coming next.

As he expected, once she succeeded in tying his tie in a perfect Windsor knot, she smiled at him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. His daughter wasn't a little girl anymore, and he was reminded of that every day. He had missed so much of her life when she was away from him, and he was still missing so much because of his work, but at least now, she was here with him. When he came home after a long day – or a long week – away for his work, she was here, ready to take his mind away from it with tales of her days.

The last thing he wanted was for something to change.

And with this thought, his mind came back to Maggie and their upcoming dinner. And while his nervousness had taken a back seat since Olivia appeared in his doorway, it was now coming back full force. If he was still like this when he went to pick up Maggie, she would know that something was going on, and would ask questions he wasn't sure he wanted to answer. He needed to forget that Olivia had even used that word in the first place; tonight's dinner was just like all their other dinners over the years, there was nothing different. Nothing had changed.

Except that he knew things were different.

Neither he nor Maggie were the same people than when they met years ago anymore. They weren't married to other people anymore, and they weren't working for IYS anymore either. She wasn't only his friend's wife anymore. Strangely, he was closer to her now than he was to Nate, something he hadn't thought would happen all those years ago. (But then, he hadn't thought either that Nate, of all people, would become a thief. Life was full of surprises.)

But that still didn't mean that he and Maggie were dating. Or that he even wanted to date her in the first place. Alright, that last one was partially a lie; he was attracted to Maggie, you'd have to be blind not to see that she was a gorgeous woman. But he would never do anything to jeopardize their friendship. It meant a lot to him, probably more than some people might think.

"Daddy?" Olivia said, jolting him from his thoughts.

"What is it, darling?"

"Stop thinking about what I said."

He had to smile at her words; he hadn't needed to say a word for her to know what was on his mind. It was further proof, if he needed it, that his daughter was too smart for her age. But of course, in spite of what she might think, it was easier said than done. Now that his mind had gone down this road, it was difficult for him to stop thinking about it even though he should.

"For what it's worth, Daddy," Olivia continued, "I like Maggie."

"I like her too," he replied.

And he really did. He was glad that Olivia shared his opinion, and did from the moment the two met. The first time they had met, a couple of months after Olivia came back home, they had immediately hit it off, finding out that they had common interests. Of course, Maggie, just like Nate, had wanted to know why he had never told her about Olivia before. He had explained to her, and she had understood, although he had still noticed some hurt lingering in her eyes.

But that was all in the past. Since that day, Maggie had always tried to be there for Olivia when she needed her, even when they lived on opposite sides of the country. He was grateful about that, because, although he was willing to help his daughter any way he could, a woman he was not. And there were just some things he couldn't help her with. She had found in Maggie the person she needed in these situations.

Things would be very different if her mother was still alive, he knew that. Maggie wouldn't be such a strong presence in the teenager's life. And he realised that he would regret it.

Olivia handed him his jacket and straightened the lapels.

"There, all set," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Olivia," he replied. "Now, if you need anything, I'll have my cell phone with me," he said, patting his pocket to check that he did have it.

"Don't worry about me. Just focus on your date with Maggie."

"It's not a date," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Alright, it's not," she conceded. "But if you want it to be, I'm okay with it. I'm just saying," she added, as her father opened his mouth to speak.

He closed his mouth at her words, finding nothing to say. Olivia meant well, he knew that. She wanted him to be happy, and, with her back in his life, he was. She was imagining that he needed to be in a relationship to be happy, but that wasn't the case. Right now, he had everything he wanted.

"What are your plans for tonight?" he asked her as they walked towards the front door.

"I have a test on Monday I need to study for."

"Don't work too hard, and don't stay up too late," he said, as he did a hundred times before, only to find her still awake when he came home.

"And you have fun tonight, but not too much fun," she replied as usual. "And don't forget to say hi to Maggie for me."

"I will."

He kissed her forehead and walked outside their apartment. He waited until he heard her lock the door behind him before leaving the threshold, assured that she was safe.

His nervousness had not yet left him, and it wouldn't any time soon, but he pushed it away for the time being. There was no need for him to worry about it now; he couldn't influence people's opinions, and if they wanted to think that he and Maggie were dating, then so be it. These people didn't know the truth, but he and Maggie did.

And that was enough.

Fin.

Author's Note #2: I might write a sequel with the actual date.

Fic: Not a creature was stirring

vickysg1 — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 20:22:16 GMT

Title: Not a creature was stirring
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Leverage
Pairings: Nate/Sophie
Category: romance, angst
Summary: Telling the story about the trumpet had taken all the energy Nate had left.
Word Count: 1,116
Spoilers: The Toy Job (5-12)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's note: Written for Day Twelve of the 12 Days of Christmas on nathan_sophie. The title and a line in the story come from the story The Night Before Christmas. Many thanks to my beta, csiangel.

As much as Sophie wanted to stay with their friends – their family – she could see that telling the story about the trumpet had taken all the energy Nate had left. Although, he was hiding it well, she could see in his eyes that he was exhausted. And she wasn't the only one who noticed it; Eliot was also looking worriedly at the mastermind.

The hitter caught her eye and nodded imperceptibly at her. She returned the nod, unseen by Parker and Hardison who were talking about coming up with a new beer flavour, but Nate had noticed the silent exchange. He raised an eyebrow at her in question. She didn't even try to look innocent; it had never worked on him. Instead, she got up from the stool.

"I think it's time for us to call it a night," she said, getting Parker and Hardison's attention.

"Already?" the young thief said. "But it's not even ten!"

"Parker..." Eliot started, but Nate interrupted him.

"No, Eliot, it's fine. She's right," he continued, turning towards Sophie. "It's still early. We can stay a little longer."

But before he was done talking, Sophie was already shaking her head no. Nate was giving her a look that told her he knew exactly what she was up to. But she wouldn't back down; he needed to rest and she would see that he did. And it didn't take him long to understand that he wouldn't change her mind. He walked around the bar to stand beside her, and they said their goodnights to the team.

Parker seemed a bit put out, and Sophie would make sure that she would make it up to her the next day. She wouldn't be surprised either if, the moment she and Nate left, Eliot would explain what was really going on to her and Hardison.

The walk back to Nate's apartment was spent in silence. His arm was around her waist and he tugged her closer to him in the cold night air.

When they entered his apartment, Sophie's eyes fell onto the lights of the Christmas tree. It was like Christmas exploded in the apartment, and it sort of did. One night, they went to bed in an undecorated apartment, and the next morning, they woke up to Parker hanging the latest decorations on the tree. This time, though, there were no pricey jewels that she had stolen all over the world – Parker had kept those for the tree in the brew pub back rooms – but proper Christmas decorations.

If they had been a bit annoyed at the time that their friends had let themselves into the apartment during the night, the happy look on Parker's face when she turned towards them had dissuaded them from saying anything. Parker loved Christmas and she just wanted to share it with the people who mattered the most to her.

"We could have stayed, you know," Nate said, helping her out of her coat.

"I know. But you're exhausted, darling." She placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them gently, and leaned up to kiss him. "You're mentally and physically exhausted, and you don't have to hide it from us, from me."

Her words seemed to have finally done it. His shoulders relaxed under her touch, and he let go of the mask he wore. He had tried to keep it on for the team, she knew that, but it had cracked a bit as he was telling them his story. Sophie knew that Christmas was a hard time for him because Sam was even more present in his thoughts; he was thinking of Christmas pasts and those that had never come for his little boy. She couldn't make it go away, and even if she could, she wouldn't; his past was what made Nate the man he was now, and she didn't want to change that.

But she could appease his mind, if only for a few hours.

She pushed his jacket off of his shoulders, and let it fall to the floor. She toed off her shoes, making her a few inches shorter. Her hand then grabbed his, and she led him towards the bedroom.

He closed the door behind them, and she started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Sophie… No, don't… I…"

"Shh," she stopped him. "It's alright. Let me take care of you," she whispered.

She pressed a kiss to his neck, her lips finding his pulse point. Tonight wasn't about her, it wasn't even about them; tonight was only about him. Her fingers then went to his belt, and she unfastened it, and then made a quick work of his pants.

"Get into bed," she said.

He obeyed without saying a word, and she couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips. She made a show of taking off her clothes, knowing that he was watching and liking what he was seeing. She put on an old t-shirt of his that she had commandeered long ago, before slipping under the covers.

When she was settled, she opened her arms as an invitation, and he came. He rested his head on her shoulder, and one of his arms wrapped around her waist. Their legs tangled as she was cradling him in her arms.

"Comfy?" she asked, and she felt him nod and his arm tightened around her. "Good. That means we can start."

He raised his head at her words, probably wondering what she meant, but she pushed it back down against her, her fingers trailing in his hair. With her free hand, she picked up her phone from where she had put it on the bedside table, and searched for the file that she knew Parker had put there a couple of days ago. She opened it, and started reading the title.

"The Night Before Christmas."

"That's… That was Sam's favourite story."

"I know, darling."

"When did you…?"

"I didn't. Parker did. Apparently, she downloaded a different Christmas story for each of us on our phones. She wanted to get us into the Holiday spirit, I guess. I don't think she knows what this one means to you, though."

She felt him shake his head against her shoulder, his hair tickling the side of her neck as he did.

"Do you want me to go on, or do you prefer…? I mean, I'd understand if you don't want me to read it."

"No, please, I want to hear it. It's been a while since I last read it. Please, Soph."

She kissed his head, and smiled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wouldn't let her tears fall; now wasn't the time for that. He shifted a little in her arms, and once he was settled, she returned her eyes to the phone.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Fin.

once20in20: 20 icons for Holiday Exchange

vickysg1 — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 12:58:51 GMT

[x] 20 icons for Holiday Exchange @ once20in20

Made for myneonhearts.

Teasers

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

Fic: I'll be home for Christmas (G)

vickysg1 — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 19:41:25 GMT

Title: I'll be home for Christmas
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, Elizabeth's mother, John/Elizabeth
Word Count: 1,590
Rating: G
Summary: They didn't celebrate Christmas nor any other holiday in Atlantis.
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's Note: This was written for the Sparky Advent Calendar on john_elizabeth for Day 24. I hope you'll all enjoy it! Happy Holidays everyone!

Not beta'd yet! All mistakes are mine.

They didn't celebrate Christmas nor any other holiday in Atlantis. There were so many nationalities and religions that it was just impossible to cater for everyone, and so it was decided early on that they wouldn't celebrate any holiday. To compensate, Elizabeth made sure that those who wanted to celebrate Christmas could go back to Earth every couple of years.

And this was why she found herself on Earth, on her mother's doorstep, on Christmas Eve. John had noticed that while she allowed their people to be with their families on this day, she would always keep herself out of the rotation. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with her own family, but she had always put her people first, and it was no different in this matter.

She had tried protesting when he told her that she was going back to Earth this year, but he wouldn't listen. He had just promised her that he would keep their City and their people safe until her return. He wouldn't accept no for an answer, and she had reluctantly packed a bag, and had made her way towards the Gate. He had been there, making sure that she would go through it and not find an excuse at the last second to stay.

The moment her mother opened the door and Elizabeth saw first the surprise and then the happiness on her face, she was glad that John had all but pushed her through the Gate. The two women hugged on the threshold before her mother pulled her inside. There, she proceeded to hug her again, and Elizabeth happily returned it. They hadn't seen each other in months, and even though they regularly communicated via e-mails, it wasn't the same as being together.

"I thought you couldn't come for Christmas because of your work?" her mother asked, leading her towards the kitchen.

"Someone convinced me that things wouldn't fall apart if I took a few days off."

"Would this someone be John Sheppard by any chance?"

Her question surprised Elizabeth. She had told her about her friends and colleagues, John included, but for her mother to guess right on her first try was strange. She was starting to suspect that something else was going on and her mother's next words confirmed it.

"A package arrived for you a couple of days ago with John Sheppard as a sender. I found it strange that one of your colleagues would send you something here when he knows where to find you. I understand why he did that, now."

"John is quite surprising, sometimes," Elizabeth said, shaking her head.

She wondered what he would have done if she had dragged her feet even more, or something had happened and she had had to stay in Atlantis. She had no doubt that he would have found a plan B; John was nothing if not resourceful.

"Why don't you go change into more comfortable clothes while I get some tea ready for us?" her mother suggested, eyeing the business suit Elizabeth was wearing.

Kissing her mother's cheek, Elizabeth grabbed her bag from the hallway and went upstairs to what had once been her room. It was still very much her room, but since she had left for college, she hadn't spent more than a few nights a year here. It was like coming home, and yet, it was not. This house, this room had been her home from her infancy to her late teens, but it wasn't anymore. But she still felt at home when she was under her mother's roof.

As she looked around the room, her eyes fell on a picture of her and her parents taken on her graduation day. Her cap long gone, she was standing between her parents, the three of them smiling proudly at the camera. She picked up the frame, her fingers lingering on her father's face. More than any other time of the year, she was missing him at Christmas. This had always been his holiday. He had always embodied the Christmas spirit in their family. The first Christmas after his passing had been difficult on both mother and daughter, but they had kept alive the traditions he had put in place in their house, if only to honour his memory.

She put the picture back down, and opened her bag to get some clothes to change into. Her mother would start wondering what was taking her so long, even though Elizabeth wouldn't be surprised if she just knew. She had a knack for always knowing everything that was going on under her roof. It made surprising her quite difficult, but Elizabeth and her father had always risen up to the challenge.

When she reached the living-room, her mother wasn't there yet. She went to the Christmas tree and knelt down. She saw that the present she had sent her mother was there among other packages. She noticed one package with her name on it in John's distinctive handwriting. She picked it up, quite curious as to what it contained.

"It's not time for the presents, yet," her mother's voice came from behind her, startling her.

"I know," Elizabeth replied, putting the package back where she had found it.

"Come sit beside me, and tell me what you can about your life."

In a not-so-subtle way, Elizabeth's mother reminded her that there were some parts of her life that were classified. She wished she could tell her about all the wonderful planets, cultures and people that she had met. She wanted to tell her about Atlantis, her home. But she couldn't.

There were still some, non-classified things she could tell her, and even though it wasn't enough, it was still something.

She decided to start with the story of Rodney, Radek and the children of M7G-677. She could leave out the part where it happened on another planet, and it would still be funny.

###

Elizabeth came back to Atlantis on the day after Christmas. She was glad to see it was still standing. There was no visible damage, but she would still read the hour by hour report to be certain that nothing serious happened when she was away. It wasn't that she didn't trust John with their City, she did, but she also knew what kind of trouble he could get into when on his own.

The smile on Chuck's face when she walked past his station reassured her even more. She put her things down in her office, and noticed that John's data pad was there, but that he was nowhere in sight. She walked back out of her office, and stopped beside Chuck.

"Have you seen Colonel Sheppard?" she asked.

"He's on the balcony, Doctor. And welcome back."

"Thank you. It's good to be home."

And it really was, Elizabeth thought as she walked towards the balcony doors. Even if she was gone only a couple of days, she had missed the City and her people. As much as she had loved spending the past two days with her mother, Earth wasn't her home anymore: Atlantis was.

The balcony doors slid open before her, and she saw John leaning against the railing. He didn't turn in her direction when she stepped outside, but she had no doubt that he knew she was there. She went to stand beside him and mimicked his position. With her shoulder she nudged his, and he nudged her back.

"You were right for pushing me to go," she said, turning her head to look at him.

"You had a good time?"

"I did. But I missed our City. I missed you," she added, lowering her voice.

It was something that they never talked about, but it was there. They might choose to ignore it, but they both knew it existed. But for the well-being of Atlantis, they knew they couldn't do anything about it. Not yet, anyway.

But today, on the day after Christmas, just for a few hours, she felt like they could indulge. And in a way, he was the one who started it all.

"Thank you, for your present," she said, and he finally turned towards her.

"Did you like it?"

"What do you think?" she replied with a cheeky smile.

"I think you did," he said, as he finally noticed his present around her neck. "You didn't think it was... too much?" he asked, visibly worried.

"I certainly didn't expect it, but no, it's not. Did you get mine?" she asked.

"Yes. I don't know how you did it, but this signed football is one of my most precious possessions, now. But really, how did you do it?"

"I know someone, who knows someone...," she trailed off.

"Thank you," he said, before passing a hand through his hair and messing it up, as a sign of nervousness. "Well, I should probably get back to work."

"I should too."

But first, there was something she wanted to do and that she knew she couldn't put off any longer. If she did, she might never do it, and she would end up regretting it. She put a hand on his arm to stop him as he was about to turn away from her. Before he could say or do anything, she leaned up and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. It wasn't quite a real kiss, but it wasn't just a friendly kiss on the cheek either.

When she pulled away, she expected to see surprise and confusion in his eyes, but she only saw something she refused to name there. She released his arm, and he left, but not before squeezing her hand.

She turned back towards the ocean as the door closed behind him. It was good to be home, even if it wasn't Christmas anymore.

Fin.

Fic: A storm raging inside my mind (G)

vickysg1 — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:13:37 GMT

Title: A storm raging inside my mind
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, John/Elizabeth
Word Count: 1,632
Rating: G
Summary: Right this moment, Elizabeth was anything but calm and collected.
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's Note: Written for my sparktober Bingo Card prompt "IOA". Set during 'The Intruder'. It follows up the fics I've started to write for the same Bingo Card and that you can find here. I had planned to have all the fics written, but of course, that didn't happen. Many thanks to my beta, csiangel.

To anyone who didn't know her, Elizabeth appeared calm and collected. But inside, she was far from that. Her meetings with the IOA were frustrating her, and on top of that, the night before, Simon told her that he wouldn't come to Atlantis with her. So, right this moment, she was anything but calm and collected. It was just a front she put up because she couldn't lose it in the SGC briefing room. But the more time passed, the more she heard Colonel Caldwell and the IOA representatives criticizing her people – Major Sheppard more than the others she noted – and her decisions, the closer she was to telling them exactly what was on her mind.

She wished she was anywhere but here. She wished she was still on Atlantis, and sometimes she even wished that they had never re-established contact with Earth. But that would have meant losing Atlantis and most probably their capacity to defend the people of Pegasus against the Wraith. If dealing with the IOA was the price they had to pay to continue their mission, then they would gladly pay it. They had a responsibility to these people.

When the meetings came to an end for the day, she felt relieved. She tried not to leave the briefing room in too much hurry; she certainly didn't want them to think that they had rattled her with all their criticism. She just wanted to go to the office they temporarily assigned to her and calm down. When she rounded the last corner, she saw that she wouldn't be left alone any time soon.

"John? What are you doing here?" she said to the man who stood before the door.

"I... I was just coming to see if you were done for the day, and if maybe you wanted to grab dinner," he replied. "So, do you?"

"I'm not really hungry right now."

Elizabeth opened the door to her office and walked inside. John followed and closed the door behind him. She put her things down on her desk before turning to face him. She was tired from her day, and she had no doubt he could see it on her face. She just hoped that he wouldn't ask how the meetings went, and he didn't. Instead, he surprised her with his next words.

"You look like you need to blow off some steam."

"Is it that bad?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've learned to know you in the past months," he answered with a shrug. "Someone else might not be able to pick up the signs."

He was right of course. He was probably the person who knew her the most on Atlantis, and it came in handy at times. She liked to think that she knew him too, even though she couldn't always predict his reaction like he could predict hers. But they knew each other enough to be able to understand each other without words, and when the other needed to be left alone. It was no surprise that he was able to read her today too.

"I could actually do with blowing off some steam as you put it. Do you have a suggestion?" she asked.

"Meet me in the gym in ten."

He left her office without giving her time to answer; it didn't seem to matter to him whether she agreed or not. She shook her head and bit back a smile, even though he couldn't see her. With just a few words, he had already made her feel a bit better. The tension from the day was still there, but she was confident that with a good workout, it would melt away.

Knowing that if she was just one minute late, John would tease her mercilessly – she was known for her punctuality in Atlantis, after all – she didn't waste any time leaving her office. She stopped by her quarters to change and, with a couple of minutes to spare, she entered the gym. She easily spotted John on one side of the room. It was dinnertime, and aside from a couple of marines running on the treadmill or lifting weights, they had the room mostly to themselves.

She walked towards him and stopped just a couple of feet away. He had changed into his gym clothes, too, and she wondered what he had planned for her. She looked at him expectantly, but he surprised her with his next words.

"So, where do you want to start?" he asked, motioning to the room at large.

She had truly thought that he would already have everything ready for her, but he was leaving the choice up to her. She looked around the room, trying to decide what would help her unwind the best.

"I'm feeling partial to the punching bag," she replied, turning back towards him.

"Good then."

That it was on the opposite side of the room from where the marines were was only a bonus. She believed that she might need some privacy during this session. She didn't need other people wondering what was going on.

"You should probably put these on," he said, handing her a pair of boxing gloves he took out of his gym bag. "You wouldn't want to hurt your hands."

"You came prepared I see."

"Always. Have you ever done this?" he asked as she stood before the punching bag.

"No, but I guess it's not that difficult. You just throw a punch at it, right?"

"That's one way of doing it, yes. But you have to be careful if you don't want to injure yourself. Here, let me show you."

She startled when she felt his hands on her waist. She refused to admit – even to herself – that she shivered when his thumb brushed her skin where her top had ridden up. He corrected her position, one hand sliding down to her thigh to coax her to move her leg back.

When his hands left her, she felt bereft for a moment, before composing herself. He went to stand behind the punching bag, steadying it with his body.

"Come on now, Elizabeth. Show me what you got," he said with a smile.

She took a breath, and started to hit the punching bag. Despite her best efforts, though, John barely had to hold it in place. It looked like she was barely touching it while she felt like she gave everything each time. It was a bit frustrating, and after the day she had, she wasn't looking for more frustration. She stopped and blew a strand of hair out of her face. John must have read the frustration on her face, and he look at her from behind the punching bag.

"Ok. That was good, but it could be better. Here's a useful trick: just picture someone's face on the punching bag. Think that you're trying to punch the lights out of them. I know you're not for violence, but..."

He stopped, as the punch Elizabeth threw at the bag was stronger than her previous ones. He had to block the punching bag to prevent it from knocking into him. When it didn't look like she was about to hit the bag again, he looked at her again.

"Wow! Who was that for?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied, smiling.

She wasn't about to tell him that she saw Colonel Caldwell's face when she punched the bag. That would require explanations she wasn't ready to give, yet. John didn't need to know what was going on during the briefings, and that they didn't trust him as military commander of Atlantis. At least, not when she planned to convince them that they were wrong about him.

"That wasn't me, was it?" he asked, worry in his voice.

"Why would it be you? What have you done?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Nothing," he answered, holding his hands up in defence. "But I thought you might still be mad at me for the things I've done in the past."

"I'm not," she reassured him. "We've set things straight every single time, there's no reason for me to be mad at you."

"Good. I'm glad about that. I hope we can keep things this way."

"You plan to defy my orders again?"

"That's not what I said... I just... I meant..."

"I know what you meant. Now, can we get back to it?" she asked, gesturing towards the punching bag.

"Of course," he said, putting his hands back on the bag to steady it.

Elizabeth positioned herself the way he showed her to – all the while shutting out that treacherous little voice that told her to make a mistake so that he could help her again – and started punching the bag again. It wasn't always Caldwell's face she was imagining on the bag; it changed to the faces of the IOA representatives and even Kavanagh's once, as he was partially responsible for all this.

She had no idea how long they continued; she only stopped when she was starting having trouble catching her breath. She took a step back and brushed wet strands of hair out of her face. John handed her a bottle of water and she nodded at him in thanks, unable to speak for the moment.

"You're feeling any better?" he asked her when he saw she was able to breathe properly again.

"Yes, much. Thank you, John."

"My pleasure."

"Would you like to grab something to eat?" she repeated the offer he had made when he first came into her office.

"Sure. But you should probably go change first. And have a shower, too," he added as an afterthought.

"Are you telling me that I stink?"

She watched as he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to find a way to reply to her that wouldn't earn him a punch in the stomach. He came up empty, and she took pity on him.

"That's alright, John. You're right. Meet you in the mess hall in half an hour?"

"It's a date."

Fin

Fic: A world that never was (PG)

vickysg1 — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 11:06:33 GMT

Title: A world that never was
Author: vickysg1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Elizabeth
Category: Angst
Summary: The last two and a half years of his life hadn't existed.
Word Count: 1,018
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don’t earn any money; I just do it for fun.
Author's note: This fic was written for sparktober, and mainly for hanorganaas because I made her cry with one of my favourite John/Elizabeth moments. I hope this fic will make it up for you, even though it's angsty. Also, I know that this plot had been done before, but well, it's the perfect fix-it, right? And as always, many thanks to my beta, the wonderful csiangel.

The last two and a half years of his life hadn't existed.

They hadn't taken Atlantis back to Earth; they hadn't even left Lantea in the first place. Michael hadn't abducted Teyla nor the Athosians. His father hadn't died and he hadn't made up with his brother. They hadn't allied with Todd and the Travelers to destroy the Asurans. Neither Richard Woolsey nor Colonel Carter had been appointed commanders of the expedition. They hadn't met Carson's clone; the good doctor hadn't died in the first place.

And he hadn't lost Elizabeth.

When he woke up in the infirmary to see her at his bedside, he had been so sure he was dreaming. There had been no other possible explanation for her presence on Atlantis. And then, Carson had walked up to his bed. He had jumped to his feet so fast that he tore the IV line from his hand. The pain he had been feeling had convinced him that it wasn't a dream, and his mind had found another explanation for what was happening: he had been captured and he wasn't on Atlantis. And it had fitted; he hadn't remembered falling asleep the night before.

Elizabeth had put her hand on his arm, but he had flinched away. He had seen the hurt look on her face, but he hadn't cared: she wasn't Elizabeth. He hadn't listened as she and Carson – or whoever he really was – explained what he had gone through. He had completely tuned them out by the time his team had made it to the infirmary. It had taken Rodney explaining what happened, and watching a video feed for John to finally believe them.

He had sat down heavily on the bed, finally allowing Carson to take a look at his hand, and his eyes had found Elizabeth's. He could still see traces of hurt in her eyes, but she had concealed it behind a determined look.

Carson had finally released him from the infirmary after a few examinations, and John had immediately sought the fresh ocean air.

The night had fallen on the City a couple of hours before, but he didn't feel like going back inside. Going back inside would mean facing a world – people – that he thought he had lost. But he had only dreamt it all. No, it hadn't been just a dream; it had felt real, too real. The nanites in him had provided him with a world that was far from perfect, but it had felt real, and maybe that had been why he hadn't realised that it wasn't until they managed to wake him up, almost two days later.

He wondered what would have happened if they hadn't managed to wake him up. Would he have woken up on his own? Or would he have been forever lost in a world that never was? He would never know the answer to these questions, and maybe that was for the best. But a part of him was still mad that he had never realised that the life he was living had been a lie. He should have been able to tell. There should have been clues, but he hadn't seen them.

He heard the balcony doors open behind him, but he didn't turn around. He didn't have to to know who it was. The person joined him at the railing, and sure enough, from the corner of his eye, he saw that it was Elizabeth. She mimicked his position, and he heard her take a deep breath.

"That was stupid breaking the quarantine the way you did," she said without preamble.

"And yet, with most of the nanites infecting me, it allowed you to wake up."

"I would have woken up eventually."

"You don't know that. Look, if I had to do it again, even if it meant being infected again, I would do it in a heartbeat. It was the right thing to do."

"John..." she started, but he interrupted her.

"No. It was worth it. It was worth it," he repeated, his hands gripping the railing.

And it was, he had no doubt about it. What he had gone through had been painful and too real, and he would never be able to forget it, but in the end, it had been worth it. She wouldn't be able to change his mind about that. Yes, he would probably have nightmares about these two years that never existed, and it would take him time for him to not be startled when he met someone he thought dead in a hallway, but it was a price he was happy to pay.

He could feel Elizabeth's eyes on him. He knew she wanted to ask him about what happened to him, but she wouldn't. Just like he wouldn't ask what happened to her. It was something they would never share with other people. It was private. And it was painful. Neither of them cared to relive it, even with the only other person who could understand it.

"Thank you."

Elizabeth had said it so quietly that he almost missed it. He didn't say anything in reply; there was nothing he could say. When she turned away to get back inside, she put her hand on his and squeezed it. He turned his hand slightly and captured her fingertips, allowing the touch to linger a few seconds more. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and they shared a look of understanding.

He had come to realise something in this world created by the nanites, but he wouldn't speak of it. And she wouldn't ask him to. Maybe one day, when they would stop being haunted by a world that never existed, he would be able to talk about it and she would listen to him. But not now, when the memories of it were still so fresh – too fresh – in both their minds.

He let go of her hand, and turned his eyes back towards the ocean. He would need time to get used to being on Lantea again.

The balcony doors opened and closed, and he was alone once more. Alone with his thoughts, alone in a world he thought he had lost.

Fin.

het_bigbang: Falling off the edge 6/6 (PG-13)

vickysg1 — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 07:24:07 GMT

Chapter One and Meta
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five

Chapter 6

Miss Parker didn't know where Jarod was. He wasn't in the Sim Lab, and Sydney wasn't in his office either. If he was in his room, she wouldn't be able to go see him. She sighed, sitting down in the middle of an empty corridor. She was confident that the sweepers wouldn't find her here. And even if they did, she was alone, and she would be the only one in trouble.

She was used to being alone, but it next to never happened when she was at the Centre. Jarod and Angelo were usually with her. However this time, they were nowhere to be found. She missed them. Her father hadn't allowed her to come to the Centre for a week after sweepers had found the three of them huddled in a corridor on SL-21. Today, though, he had had no choice; it was faculty day at her school, and she couldn't stay at home alone.

She had tried not to show her happiness the evening before when her father had told her that she would have to come to the Centre with him. If she had, he would have probably found another solution for her. She had hoped to quickly be able to find Jarod and Angelo, but she had had no such luck. She didn't know what had happened to them after the sweepers had taken her away, and she could only hope that they hadn't been punished too severely. She had told her father repeatedly that she was the only one who should be punished, but she didn't think he had listened to her even once.

He rarely listened to her these days, and she wondered why this time would have been any different. He pretended to, but more times than not, she realised that he hadn't been paying attention to what she had to say. It was like she didn't matter for him anymore. And yet, she needed him even more than before. He was the only parent she had left and she didn't want to lose him too, even if it was just to his work.

She tried her best to make him proud. She always worked well in class and brought back perfect report cards. And at home, she was doing everything she could to please him. But he barely noticed her trying. It seemed like the only times he noticed her these days was when she did something wrong at the Centre.

In the past, she had tried to explain why she would seek Jarod and Angelo's company when she was here. They were her friends, her only friends, and she only wanted to spend time with them. It was what you were supposed to do with friends. But he refused to listen to her.

She tried so hard with her father, but he didn't want to understand. She would keep trying, though, if only because she wasn't one to give up. And one day, he would finally say that he was proud of her. One day, he would look at her and really see her. One day, all her efforts would pay.

One day.

###

Andrea entered her empty, dark apartment and sighed. It was late and she had only been able to leave work half an hour before, after a long day. It was on days such as this one that she wished someone was waiting for her at home. She just wished for a presence, someone who could take her mind off of what happened at work. But she didn't have anyone, not even a pet, to provide that kind of comfort.

Unclipping the holster that held her weapon from her waist, she opened the small safe box hidden in the closet and placed it inside. Even though there was no one but her in the apartment, she felt safer knowing that her firearm was locked away; she had read too many newspaper articles about accidents happening when a weapon was left lying around.

She had just changed out of her work clothes when she heard someone knocking at her door. She was almost tempted to get her weapon from the safe box before going to open. She might live in a relatively safe neighbourhood, but at this hour of the night, you couldn't be careful enough. But it might be a neighbour and she didn't want to scare them. And after all, she didn't know a lot of criminals who knocked on their victim's door first.

The person on the other side of the door knocked again as she reached it. She finally opened it to find a tall man in a dark suit standing on the other side. He looked up and down at her, and she saw him sneaking a look inside her apartment too. She was about to ask who he was and why has was here when he raised his badge.

"Special Agent Bailey Malone, Ma'am," he said. "Can I come in?"

A bit surprised to have an FBI agent at her door, she nodded and stepped aside. She wondered what prompted him to show up at her place instead of at the office.

"What can I do for you, Agent Malone?"

"I believe we have a friend in common, Agent Zane," he replied, acknowledging her by her title this time.

"And who would that be?"

"Me," answered a voice from behind her.

Andrea spun around in time to see two people coming out of her bedroom. If she recognized the man at first glance, she had never seen the woman before.

"Jarod?" she said. "What are you doing here?"

She hadn't seen the man since she had agreed to let him run after the Chameleon alone. It might not have been her smartest idea, far from it, but she had known that short of having Jarod arrested, she couldn't have stopped him. And even then, she hadn't been sure handcuffs would have done more than slow him down.

But after that day, she had never seen or heard of the two men. Until she found one of them standing in the middle of her apartment.

"We need your help," Jarod replied, looking at the two people who had crossed his life in the past.

"You need to answer my questions, first," Andrea said, the federal agent in her taking control of the situation.

"Fair enough," Jarod conceded, knowing that the NSA agent wouldn't back down.

"Alright. Who is she?" she asked, pointing at Jarod's companion.

"This is Miss Parker," Jarod answered. "Parker, NSA agent Andrea Zane. And this is Special Agent Bailey Malone of the FBI."

Parker nodded at them both; she still wasn't sure Jarod made the right decision in coming here. Involving strangers in Centre's matter had never been proved to be a good idea. They usually ended up dead or worse.

"Where is the Chameleon?" was Andrea's second question.

Jarod and Parker had expected this question. Andrea had worked on this case and she wanted – needed – closure. That was something they could both understand. Alex's fate would have had to come up anyway as it was part of their story. Answering her question now would at least put this matter to rest.

"Alex fell into water for a high distance. We think he died."

"But his body was never found," Parker added to Jarod's explanation.

"How did this happen?" Andrea asked as they knew she would. But before they could answer, she added. "And why do you call him Alex?"

"I ran after him at the south shore shipyard," Jarod started answering her first question, ignoring the second for the moment. "We went up on a shipping crane. His feet caught in a chain lying on the floor, and he fell. I managed to catch him, but he chose to let go, saying that, this way, only I would lose."

"Why did he say that?"

"Because Jarod here always wants to save everyone. Even those who don't want to be saved," Miss Parker answered Andrea, but the venom that Jarod was used to hear in her voice when she talked about his actions was gone.

"Why did you disappear so suddenly?" the NSA agent asked again, but before Jarod had time to even open his mouth, Bailey was already answering.

"Jarod isn't a NSA agent any more than he is a FBI agent, that's why. And you don't work for an oversight committee either."

"When did you understand?" Jarod replied not bothering to deny it.

"When Rachel mentioned that you came back and helped with Marks. You seemed more like a do-gooder than a federal agent."

"That he is, you got him right," Parker said with one of her smiles.

"Why did you confirm my story when Robert Collins called you, then?" Jarod said, ignoring Parker's quip.

"I figured that if you sent him my way, it was because he refused to believe you. And although I don't exactly know who you are, you seem to want to help people. Someone like that can't be that bad."

"Thank you. I see that I was right to trust you and have you here tonight."

"I didn't understand a word of what you've been talking about, gentlemen," Andrea intervened. "Care to explain?"

"As Agent Malone said, I'm not a NSA agent, I've never been. I'm a Pretender, a human chameleon if you'd rather. I can become anyone that I want to be."

"Like the Chameleon we tracked?"

"Yes. Actually, Alex and I were trained in the same facility," he said, before pausing. His next words would surprise her, no doubt. "And Eddy too."

"Eddy?" Andrea exclaimed, her throat closing up at the mention of her dead partner. "But… how?"

"It's a long story. It all starts in 1963, when I was kidnapped from my parents."

As Jarod told his story, Parker observed the two federal agents standing before them. On their way here, Jarod had told her about them. She had been especially curious to know the woman who had been after Alex. She was petite, something that Parker hadn't expected, given how the Pretender had talked about her. She had no doubt that Andrea was strong; you would have to be in her line of work.

Her eyes then turned towards Bailey. He was tall, taller than her, even though she wore high heels. Jarod had described him as being more observant than talkative, and she could easily believe that. He hadn't talked much since they arrived, choosing to let the NSA agent ask the questions.

You probably couldn't find two people more different than the two federal agents. Parker had another proof before her eyes of the diversity of the people Jarod met while on his pretends. Now, she just needed to wait and see if they agreed to help them. And she really didn't like waiting.

As she let her eyes roam around the room, she noticed that the NSA agent's apartment wasn't that different from her house in Blue Cove. Aside from a couple of family pictures, it looked like Andrea spent as much time here as Parker used to in her house. Their work was their life.

She looked towards Bailey next and caught him looking at her. She resisted the urge to glare at him; Jarod wouldn't appreciate her antagonize people who might help them. Instead, she held his gaze until he nodded imperceptibly at her and returned his eyes on Jarod.

Finally, after what had felt like hours to Parker – but had only really been twenty minutes – Jarod was done telling them his story. Even though he could hide it from anyone else, she could see the raw emotions written on his face. Ever since they were children, he had never really been able to hide things from her, unless he was torturing her. And tonight, she could see that he had relived every single moment in his mind as he was talking.

"Where do you fit in?" Andrea asked Miss Parker, breaking the pregnant silence that had fallen on them. "Are you a Pretender too?"

"No," she replied; they didn't need to know that, with the proper training, she could have been. "I was the Chairman's daughter, but I was really nothing more than another prisoner. Jarod and I grew up together."

There was much more to be said, but nothing they really needed to know to decide whether or not to help them. They seemed to understand that it wasn't the whole story but neither Andrea nor Bailey said a word. There were some things that would be revealed in due time – and that included Raines murdering Catherine Parker and Lyle's taste for Asian women – but right now, they needed to focus on something else.

"What do you need our help with?" Bailey was the one to ask.

"We want to bring down the Centre." He paused, letting this settle before continuing. "I have all the evidence you would need against them."

"Why come to us, then?" Andrea asked. "Why not ask the police?"

"The Centre has ties everywhere," Miss Parker replied. "They would hear all about this before the cops even leave the precinct."

"But they don’t have ties in federal agencies," Andrea surmised from what the other woman said.

"I said everywhere, and if you think the government is immune…"

"The thing is we can't take the information I have to anyone, and we can't act on our own. But I trust the two of you and I know for sure that you're not connected to the Centre in any way."

"What would we need to do?" Bailey asked, making his decision known to them.

"You will need to choose your best men for this, those you trust the most. Once this is done, I'll run a check on them to make sure they aren't affiliated with the Centre one way or another."

He already knew that this search would turn up empty; he had worked with their teams in the past, and if anyone was working for the Centre, he would have already been back in his cell, locked away from the world once more. But he would still better be safe than sorry. It wasn't just about him anymore: there was Parker too.

"You can't tell them what we have just told you. This must stay between the four of us. I don't dare th what the government would do if they knew that people like me existed."

"But still, you told us," Andrea said. "You do know that neither of us will be able to keep this under wraps once we moved."

"I know, but I'll try protecting the children of the Centre anyway."

Until now, Parker had let Jarod explain his plan to Andrea and Bailey the same way he explained it to her earlier. But now that she listened to it again, she knew it wouldn't work the way he wanted it to. He wouldn't be able to protect them all as if they followed his plan.

But if they were to follow hers...

"The thing is, we don't have to take it all down," Parker intervened. "What we really need is to make the board of directors fall, and to sever all ties with the Triumvirat in Africa and have them arrested too. And we have enough evidence to do that without revealing what is really going on inside the Centre."

Jarod looked at Parker in surprise; this wasn't at all what they had agreed upon the previous day. Their plan had been to take down the Centre once and for all, and what Parker had just exposed would just weaken it.

But everything she had just said was proof enough that she had thought this through. He was confused, wondering why she hadn't told him before if that was what she had in mind. He wondered why she had agreed with him the day before if it was to suggest another plan now. But more than that, he was hurt that she didn't want to take down the place that had made both their lives a living hell for so many years.

Parker could read him as clearly as a book, and she knew he needed an explanation. She would give him one, but it shouldn't have been hard for his genius mind to figure everything out.

"You don't want Sydney and Broots to end up in prison, do you?" she asked, looking his way. "And I don't think you'd want Angelo and the others to be sent in a mental facility that wouldn't be any better for them than the Centre." When he shook his head no, she continued. "The new Parker legacy starts with me."

With her words, he was immediately brought back to the plane, moments before Mr. Parker had jumped. This was what the man she had thought was her father had told her. From what they knew, this was what he had read in the scrolls. Maybe he had really jumped with them to protect Parker, because god knew what Raines and Lyle would have done to her if they had had this information. Maybe he had really given her the gift she had been waiting for since she was a child.

Seeing that she was waiting for him to say something, anything, he concentrated on the plan she had suggested. It could work; they had enough evidence to have Raines sentenced for life or worse. He also had evidence against the other board members that they could use; the Tower would easily fall.

They would only have to deal with the sweepers. Then again, he had evidences against Willie and some others linking them to kidnappings and murders all over the country. As for the others, he had no doubt Parker already knew what to do with them.

"Alright, we'll do it your way," he finally said, agreeing to her plan, and she felt relieved. "But we can't get them at the Centre as I first thought if we want to keep it away from attention. You'll have to arrest them all at their homes, at the exact same time so they don't warn each other."

"What makes you think that they won't talk about the Centre later, and let the media know exactly what happened there?" Andrea asked.

"Because they will have even more to lose if they do, like their lives," Parker replied. "The Centre has ties with mobsters, and I doubt they want to risk someone testifying against them. Not to mention that government officials who know about the Centre's dealings wouldn't like their involvement to be exposed in the media."

"And we'll use the same argument with the Triumvirat after we have their leaders arrested," Jarod added and Parker nodded. "I don't think keeping the Centre and getting me back will weight much in the balance against risking their own lives."

"Sounds like a plan," Bailey said.

"I'll write everything down and you and your teams will have to follow it to the letter. It's imperative if we wanted it to work."

"And where will you be?" Andrea asked, already certain that the two people standing before her wouldn't be anywhere close.

"There's something we need to do at the exact same time," Jarod replied. "If we don't, we can lose everything. Here's my e-mail address, it's secure," he continued, handing each of them a piece of paper. "I want your list of names by tomorrow evening. We're moving in three days."

Before either of them could say anything else, Jarod and Parker had already retreated to the shadows of Andrea's apartment. She turned towards Bailey, a man she didn't know an hour before, and with whom she now shared a huge burden. He might not look as lost as she felt, but she was sure that the same thoughts were running inside their minds.

"We'd better start now," Bailey said, and she could only nod.

###

Sydney was sitting in his chair, reading a book by the light of the lamp beside him when he saw a shadow moving in the corner of his eyes. He turned his head in this direction, and wasn't surprised when he saw the two people who emerged from the shadows.

"Jarod! Parker!" he said.

He got up from his chair and walked over the two children of the Centre. He embraced the man he considered a son, before turning towards his former colleague, smiling at her.

"I'm glad to see that you are fine, Miss Parker. Angelo told me that you were in danger, and we had no idea where you were. What happened? Did you get to her in time?" he directed his question to Jarod.

"Actually, she had escaped them on her own."

"I trusted my inner sense," Parker explained with a small smile.

"Then, how did you two find each other?"

"It was thanks to Ethan, actually. Genius here was about to fall into the trap meant for me when our brother stopped him. The voices told him where to find me after that. And more," she added, looking at Jarod.

"More? What do you mean?"

"He helped me find my mother."

"Oh Jarod," the older man breathed, once more wrapping his arms around the Pretender. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Sydney."

"I guess that means you're disappearing for good," he said, looking at the two people facing him.

"It's more complicated than that," Jarod replied. "We can't say much more for the moment, but you'll know soon."

"I trust you. But there's something you both need to know." He paused, unsure on how to break this news to them. "Angelo gave Broots a vial of Baby Parker's cord blood. He said that it contained answers. We had it analysed and..."

"We know," Parker said, putting him out of his misery.

It wasn't something they had planned to tell him just yet, but he already knew. The news must have shocked him as much as it had shocked them, and they wished they could have told him and Broots themselves. But Angelo had beaten them to it, which didn't surprise them at all.

Sydney didn't say anything out loud, but his eyes were telling them everything that they needed to know; he was sorry for them, and wished that it hadn't happened. But he was also resigned, because it was what the Centre had always done: manipulate them to the extreme.

"What happened after I disappeared?" Miss Parker asked, feeling that it was time for a change of topic.

"There was a T-Board," he said, and neither Jarod nor Parker could say that they were surprised. "I, Broots, Cox and Lyle had to face Raines."

"It looks like Raines thought my brother really messed up this time."

"He did. He knew he didn't have anything on me and Broots, but he probably hoped that we knew your whereabouts anyway. The T-Board hadn't been able to prove any of us guilty."

"That would have been surprising if they had," Parker replied.

"Yes, but Lyle still seem to think that Cox has warned you in some way."

"Like that would be possible with that guy. I thought Lyle knew his minions better than that."

"Parker?" Jarod said, after he checked his watch.

"It's getting late," she told Sydney. "You should get some sleep. Even though I think you'll have a light day tomorrow."

That was cryptic at best, but before he could ask what she meant, they were already gone.

A couple of minutes later, just as he was about to turn off the light in the living-room, there was a loud knock on his front door.

"Open up, Sydney!" Lyle shouted through the door.

He opened it and watched as sweepers entered his house, followed by the thumbless man. While his men were looking through the house, Lyle stopped before him.

"Where are they, Sydney?" he asked. "And no need to hide that they were here. They have been seen in the neighbourhood."

"They just left."

"Why didn't you call the Centre?"

"Sir, the phone doesn't work," Sam intervened before Sydney could reply.

"It's not a coincidence, I suppose. Search the neighbourhood," he ordered the sweepers. "They can't be far."

Lyle left without saying another word to Sydney. The psychiatrist locked the door behind him, hoping that Jarod and Parker were already out of reach of the sweepers.

###

Jarod stopped their car a couple of miles away from the barn; they would have to cover the rest of the way by foot if they didn't want to be seen on security cameras earlier than planned. He was about to leave the car when Parker stopped him with a hand on his arm. He turned towards her and saw her holding out a gun to him.

"Parker," he said, shaking his head no.

"This is our son, Jarod. If you don't want to kill them, that's fine by me. I know that's not who you are," she added, and he heard what she wasn't saying out loud; it was who she was. "But wound them, at least. They'll be less likely to run after us if you do."

He reluctantly took the gun, knowing that she was right. He would try not to use it, but he knew the sweepers down there wouldn't hesitate if given the occasion.

They left the car, and it didn't take them long to cover the miles left to the barn. Soon, they were crouched beside the trap door hidden in the floor. Jarod looked at his watch; only a minute to go. He looked at Parker, who answered his silent question with a nod: she was ready. The unfamiliar weight of the gun in his hand reminded him, if need be, that they wouldn't have a second chance; either they got out of here with Joshua or they lost him forever.

His watch emitted a beep and he opened the trap door. Parker was the first one to climb down the ladder; he had wanted to go first, but he knew that she was a better shooter than he was. And he trusted the voices to lead her to their son.

They had agreed to avoid the scientists as much as possible. They weren't the ones who would pose the biggest risk. As they had hoped, there didn't seem to be a lot of sweepers around; their little diversion of the night before seemed to have worked.

Parker couldn't say that she had completely agreed with Jarod's part of the plan that had consisted of breaking into the Centre, taking as little precaution as possible doing so, before going to Sydney's. It had been risky, to say the least. But they had left enough clues to let them know that they would come back and they seemed to have taken the bait. She had to admit that she liked that little twist.

They rounded a corner and were spotted by a sweeper. Parker shot him before he had time to sound the alarm. She had only injured him, and as she stopped next to him, and knocked him out with the butt of her gun. As she rose, she noticed the door at the end of the corridor, and the voices told her that this was it; behind it was Joshua.

She looked at Jarod and pointed towards the door, enjoining him to follow. They only encountered one more sweeper who had the bad idea of coming their way just as they arrived at the door. Jarod punched him in the face and he was out cold.

"Go," he told her, as he opened the door for her. "I'll keep an eye out."

She nodded and entered the room. She quickly looked around and saw that there was no one there. She allowed herself to let her hands fall to her side, not quite relaxing, but knowing that for the moment, they were safe; the door she had just come through was the only way in and out the room.

And then, she looked at the middle of the room where a playpen stood and was met by big brown eyes. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and stepped closer, careful not to frighten the little boy, her little boy.

"Hi," she said, as stopped just outside the playpen, facing him. "You remember me?"

"Mama," Joshua said to her surprise, holding his arms out to her, but she quickly recovered; she would have time to think about that later.

"Yes, it's Mama," she repeated, picking him up. "What do you say we get out of here," she said, kissing his cheek.

He nodded. She scanned the room one more time to see if there was anything he would need, but there were barely any toys. All she could see where blocks; he wouldn't need those.

She walked outside the room and noticed that Jarod's eyes barely fell on their son before he started leading the way back to the ladder. She quickly understood why he acted this way; right now, with Joshua in her arms, she couldn't protect them, and he had to step up. He would only allow himself to properly meet his son once they were safe.

They nearly ran into a couple of scientists, but they managed to hide just in time. They waited as long as they could before they resumed walking.

Finally, they arrived at the ladder. Knowing that she couldn't climb up and hold Joshua at the same time, she handed him over to Jarod, and if he held him tighter than he would have usually done with another child, she didn't say anything. She took point once more, and soon, they were back in the barn.

It had been easy, almost too easy, which made them worry about what was happening back in Blue Cove. It wouldn't be long until they knew, and until then, they allowed themselves not to think too much about it. They had made the choice to make Raines and Lyle think they would hit the Centre, and whatever happened, neither of them would be able to go back on it.

The walk back to their car took longer with Joshua. He was a quiet kid, though, and he hadn't said a word since Miss Parker had picked him up. That was something they were grateful for, as that had allowed them to move with as little noise as possible. They didn't doubt that he had inherited his mother's gift, and that it was helping him understand that they didn't want to hurt him.

When they arrived at the car, Jarod finally allowed himself to hug his son, and a tear fell down his cheek as Joshua called him Daddy for the first time. Before too long, he sat him in the car seat they had bought just the day before, before going to the passenger side; Parker would drive as they had already established that she had the most experience in this area.

Less than ten minutes later, Jarod's phone rang. He pressed the button and put the cell phone to his ear. He listened for a few seconds before hanging up without saying a word, just as they drove past a couple of FBI cars.

"It's over," he just told her.

###

The road trip back was quite uneventful. Joshua seemed to be an easy child, much to his parents' relief. They didn't want to think about how difficult the journey would have gone if he hadn't been. But they wondered whether it would last or it would change when he settled in his new life. Not that it really mattered to them right now.

Jarod had called his father as soon as they had left Delaware to let his family know that everything had gone as planned. He let out the part where they hadn't really taken the Centre down; he thought it would be easier to explain that fact face to face. He hadn't been sure it had been the right choice until Parker had stood in the atrium and let everyone know, without uttering a single word, that she was in charge now. And if that hadn't been clear enough, she had already fired all the sweepers and made no promise to keep the other employees.

She wanted to start anew as soon as she came back.

When the house was finally in sight, they weren't surprised to see that the family was waiting for them outside. It had snowed again since they had left, and Parker could already see her son playing in the snow with his father.

They exited the car, and Jarod took Joshua in his arms to introduce him to the rest of his family. The little boy seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting, and it was easy to see that he had his grandparents and his aunt already wrapped around his little finger. Parker wondered how long it would take his two uncles to get there too. Probably not too long; if he had managed to melt her with just one word – granted that it was a special one – he would easily conquer their resistances.

Margaret ushered them inside after the initial greetings, not wanting them to catch a cold. They took off their thick coats and boots in the hallway, before Margaret led them to a door on the first floor.

"We may have gone a little over the top," she said as she opened the door.

What Parker and Jarod saw inside was a little boy's room complete with a crib, other furniture, toys, and – they were almost certain – clothes in the drawers.

"'May have'? 'A little'?" Parker repeated, looking towards Margaret.

"He's our only grandson at the moment, so please, allow us to spoil him for the moment," Major Charles said.

"And we know that you won't stay here forever," Margaret continued. "But he needs a room for when you come visit."

Miss Parker and Jarod looked at each other. They didn't even need to talk for his parents to know that they wouldn't stay here forever. But they still had no idea they were going back to Blue Cove.

Communicating with their eyes, they knew that it was time to tell them everything. Jarod turned towards his parents and thanked them for what they had done. That was the least they could do before dropping yet another bombshell on them.

###

She closed the door of Joshua's room after one last look at the sleeping boy. He was so exhausted that he had fallen asleep the moment Jarod had laid him down in his crib. They had no doubt that it wouldn't be this easy every night, but for their first night here, it was a real blessing.

She turned back towards Jarod and they shared a smile. His family had taken the news about the Centre better than they had thought. Margaret had assured her that Catherine would be proud of her. Parker suspected that she had known what she had wanted to do before she even did.

"Do you think he's going to stay asleep all night?" she asked him as they walked toward her room.

"Let's hope so."

He paused, looking at her but not knowing exactly what to say. He wanted to ask her about them, now that they had Joshua with them, but he struggled to find the right words.

Seeing this, she decided to take the matter in her own hands, literally. She smiled at him and took his hand, leading him inside her bedroom.

Fin.