OLD VERSION!!! Fic: Face Value (3/3), Crossover Leverage/A:tS, PG-13
havenward gave my muse a kickstart - and here's the result! Seems I have a Verse now… *big sheepish grin*
Face Value (Part 3/3)
elebridith
Fandom: A:tS/Leverage crossover.
Characters: Lindsey McDonald, Eliot Spencer, Alec Hardison, Nathan Ford; cameo by Lilah Morgan.
Disclaimer: Not mine. No one, nothing. Just playing.
Summary: "With all five thugs lying on the ground, the black-dressed man turned around and the camera caught his face. Lindsey's jaw dropped. "Holy shit!""
Rating: PG-13? Some swearwords.
Part Three beta'd by havenward . With endless patience and so much support - thanks hun! *huggles*
Thanks to honeyjojames and canadiangoddess for feeding the muse!
A/N: Part One happens during A:tS' "Dead End" - Lindsey has his new hand already, but has not discovered its "evilness" yet. Team Leverage is set in Chicago and has already worked together for some time. It goes AU after that.
Part One here.
Part Two here.
Part Three
"They're back."
Nathan stepped back from the window with a relieved sigh. Despite getting two phone calls from Alec in the last few hours that had confirmed them getting out alive and well, the news footage from Los Angeles had been too frightening. Nathan had been worried sick until the first call and his anxiety had not died down completely.
He went to the front door and opened it. Eliot's car had just pulled up the driveway and the car doors opened to reveal a yawning Alec, a quite-tired looking Eliot and a pale and slightly shaking man who almost dropped back on the seat as he tried to stand up.
Nathan took a closer look and shook his head in awe. When Alec had used the word "clone" earlier, he certainly hadn't been lying.
He stepped forward. "Hi there, welcome back. You got your man out there, I see. Everything all right?"
Eliot gave him a tired nod. "Yeah. He got quite a blow to the head and he has a slight concussion, but he'll be ok after some good night's sleep."
Nathan frowned. "Blow to the head?"
Eliot grinned. "I kicked him into a wall so he wouldn't get shot. Lesser of two evils."
Nathan shook his head again, but said nothing.
Eliot helped the other man out of the car. "Easy, man. Don't move too fast."
He looked at Nathan again. "I guess you know who he is. Lindsey, this is Nathan Ford. Head of Leverage Consulting and Associates."
Lindsey looked up and smiled a little weakly. Nathan greeted him cautiously and tried to prevent himself from staring. Now that both men were a little pale and unshaven, the resemblance was just amazing.
Eliot snapped him out of his reverie. "Nate? Can he stay here for a while? He needs a little rest now and my place's just too small."
Nathan studied Eliot's face and grinned. "So do you, Eliot. And yes, he can have the guest room. Come in."
A few minutes later they sat in Nathan's living room. Alec had excused himself and had gone off to his own place to catch some sleep before the next job, but Eliot had reluctantly accepted the offered coffee after bandaging Lindsey's arm wound properly. He was now giving a short report about what had happened.
Lindsey sipped his coffee, too tired to speak and head still aching. Then he just sat there, eyes half closed, trying not to fall asleep. Trying but failing since Eliot's voice woke him up a few minutes later.
"Hey. You can sleep in a real bed now."
Lindsey blinked and tried to focus again. "Sorry, must have dozed off. Where do I go?"
Nathan motioned to the next room. "Guest room. You can stay there for now. There are some of Eliot's clothes, should fit you. Bathroom's over there."
Eliot looked up. "I'll be sleeping on the couch here tonight because Nathan will be out. You need anything, just call. Oh, and I brought your sword. It's over there on the table."
Lindsey didn't believe his ears. He stared at his weapon, then back at Eliot and he could have sworn that he could see a spark of amusement in the other man's eyes. He turned his look to Nathan who was already moving to the kitchen, carrying the empty coffee mugs and seemingly not a bit concerned that there was a strange person with a deadly weapon in his guest room.
Lindsey looked back at Eliot and decided not to touch that matter now. Instead he just smiled, being really grateful. "Thanks. I appreciate that, really. I…" He hesitated, searching for words, but then just repeated "Thanks. For everything."
Eliot nodded. "Sleep now. Once you feel better, you still owe us the whole story, remember? The sooner the better." He grinned.
Lindsey grinned back. "Yeah, I remember. And with all of you grilling me for details, I'd better get back in shape real fast…"
He nodded his thanks once more and retreated in the bedroom. Too tired to do anything else, he just shook off his jeans and shoes, changed into one of Eliot's shirts, crawled under the covers and was asleep seconds later.
Eliot waited a few minutes until he could hear the even breathing from the next room, then, with a knowing smile at the sword on the table, he went into the kitchen where Nathan waited.
"Are you sure that's wise? Leaving his weapon out there for him?" Nathan looked worried again.
Eliot met his gaze. "Don't worry. He's not going to kill me."
Nathan shook his head. "Still. You know he can be ruthless. There was no need to - "
Eliot interrupted. "Yes, there was. Nathan - the guy is really no innocent puppy, but last night he was betrayed. Majorly. By someone he trusted somehow. If he's ever going to fit in here, he needs some trust right now, or he'll just break."
Nathan studied Eliot's serious face for a moment and then shrugged.
"I hope you know what you're doing. When I come back tomorrow, there better be no blood stains on the carpet."
Eliot shook his head. "There won't."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "I was joking, ok?"
Eliot curled his lips just a little. "No, you weren't. And I wasn't either. Have a good trip tonight."
As soon as Nathan had left the house, Eliot dropped on the couch and fell asleep.
***
Lindsey woke up with a start. His eyes flew open and he sat upright in the bed before he was even aware of doing so. He looked around the room, confused at first but then he remembered.
Safe. Eliot's house. No, not Eliot's - the other guy's, Nathan, right? No demons. No… betrayal.
He snorted. I wonder what happened to him. Hope he believes I'm dead.
He shuddered. I nearly was.
The graze on his right arm burned slightly, his head began to ache again and he felt dizzy.
Why? Why did he save me? What's his agenda? Not only because we look so alike - no one does that. No one.
He pressed his trembling fingers against his eyes, hoping to ease the throbbing pain behind them, but it didn't work.
Painkillers. Water. Bathroom.
He stood up, a little uneasy on his feet, and opened the bedroom door as quietly as possible. He could see Eliot's sleeping form on the couch and heard the steady breathing. He took a few steps into the room towards the bathroom, but then hesitated as he remembered something.
"Oh, and I brought your sword. It's over there on the table."
The throbbing in his head got worse and his eyes started to burn.
He trusts me. Knows what I can do with the sword, but still leaves it here. No. It's a trick. Can't trust me. No one can. No one will.
He was vaguely aware that his thoughts were starting to swirl around, taking an unreasonable turn, but he couldn't stop them.
It's a trick. It's a trick. Wants me to attack so they can kill me. No. Why? No reason. Should have left me. No one trusts…
His eyes focused again and the pain faded for a moment as he realized that he had reached the table where his weapon had been placed. He slowly ran his fingers along the blade, not even noticing that he cut himself on it. Then he closed his hand around the hilt and lifted the sword up.
The familiar weight made him feel better at once. He smiled, eyes gleaming. He didn't even feel the cold sweat that was running down his back now, drenching his shirt.
Yes. Prepared now. That will teach you. Can't trust me, Eliot, why should you? Get out, Lindsey. Kill before you get killed. Be alone. No one, just me.
He turned around and headed towards the couch. In the still dark room he could only make out a vague form in a heap of pillows and a blanket. He lifted the sword, pointed it at the couch, but didn't strike. The speed of his racing thoughts shifted up another gear.
No. No. Can't. Can't kill him. Saved me. Trusts me. Can't. No. Help. Please help me.
He lowered the sword to his side, pressed his free hand on his burning eyes, not noticing the strangled pained cry that left his throat. He staggered; the world before his eyes began to swim.
"Lindsey." An arm wrapped around his shoulders to steady him and strong fingers twisted the sword out of his grip in a surprisingly gentle move.
"Eliot…?" Lindsey turned his head and could see the concerned look on the other man's face. "Eliot… no…I didn't…"
"Sit down." He could feel cool fingers touching his forehead, and then he found himself sitting on the couch, with Eliot wrapping a blanket around him.
"You have a fever. Stay here, I'll get you some aspirin."
Lindsey couldn't move even if he'd wanted to, he just stared ahead until he felt a cool glass pressed into his hand.
"Here. Take those. You'll sleep then."
He automatically swallowed the pills with a sip of water, wondering idly why he trusted someone so suddenly.
He looked up, eyes glinting from fever. "Could've killed you."
Eliot shook his head while he put a band-aid on the cuts on Lindsey's fingers.
"You didn't. Now, let's get you back to bed before you pass out on my couch."
He pulled Lindsey on his feet again, and a minute later Lindsey was back under his own covers again, shivering and curling up to a ball. Eliot touched him gently on the shoulder.
"Pills kick in in a few minutes. There's more water on the table, and I'm next door. Just call, ok?"
Lindsey nodded weakly. "Why… why do you do this? I'm…" He couldn't keep his eyes open. His voice started to slur and trailed off.
Eliot just looked at him. "We'll talk later. You'll see."
The next hours went by in a haze. Later Lindsey could only remember snippets, pieces of nightmares involving Angel, Lorne - and himself, this time bringing the sword down.
At one time he felt someone lifting him in a sitting position, holding a glass to his lips. He tasted bitter liquid that mercifully pushed away the images and let him fall into a dreamless sleep this time.
***
"How is he?"
Nathan peeked over Eliot's shoulder at the bed in his guest room and then at Eliot, who looked pale and tired.
Eliot nodded. "Better. Seems like the nightmares are fading. And the fever goes down."
Nathan shook his head. "If it's not completely down tomorrow, you'll call a doctor, no matter what."
Eliot snorted. "Yeah. Sure. I get your reason, Nate, but what will you tell a doctor? That we found him on the street? He has no papers, nothing. I'm sure Hardison could fake some proper forms for a hospital, but he won't be back until Friday afternoon."
Nathan sighed. "And I don't know someone else who can do it until tomorrow. You have a point. But if it gets worse…"
Eliot nodded. "Then I'll think of something. But it won't. He's fighting a lot at the moment, but he's strong."
Inner demons are the worst ones.
Nathan eyed Eliot's face and raised his eyebrows. "So are you, but try to get some sleep anyway, or you're the next one down."
Eliot grinned. "I can sleep when I'm done playing nurse. Don't worry."
Nathan gave a resigned smile. "Take care. I really don't like leaving you here alone, but Sophie needs help. I'll be back as soon as possible."
***
Lindsey woke up to what felt like days later. Again he needed a few seconds to remember where he was, but when he sat upright this time, he realized that the headache and the fever had faded away. Only a slight dizziness was left and he felt a little clumsy as he reached for the water on the nightstand and needed three tries to finally grab it.
"Feeling better?"
Eliot must have ears like a cat, Lindsey decided, when only the clinking of the glass had woken him up. He was now standing in the doorframe, stifling a yawn.
Lindsey flinched. "Sorry, I didn't wanna wake you. But yeah, I feel better. A lot. What time is it?"
"It's nearly noon. You were sick two days." Eliot came closer, examined his face and again put a hand on Lindsey's forehead. "Seems normal again. Are you hungry?"
Right on cue, Lindsey's stomach growled. Eliot laughed. "Good. Tea? Pancakes?"
Lindsey nodded. "Yeah. That'd be great. Wait." He frowned. "Two days? Oh hell."
He looked down at himself, realizing that he wore a different shirt than before.
He looked at Eliot, noticing now his tired face. "Tell me I didn't keep you up for two days, please."
Eliot shrugged. " Don't mention it. Nathan only just got back and the others have to work. Can you get up?"
Lindsey tried a cocky grin which was not entirely convincing and snorted.
"Seein' as how I really need to use the bathroom, I best hope so."
He tried to stand up, surprised that apart from a little shaky knees it actually worked. He padded slightly wobbly to the bathroom while Eliot watched him a moment and then went into the kitchen where Nathan already waited.
A few pancakes and two cups of tea later and feeling much better, Lindsey was finally ready to face answers to the questions he really didn't want to ask.
He fidgeted with his cup. "I… know that I still owe you all a long story, but…"
He mustered his courage to directly look at the other men.
"Three years back, I threatened you. Here, I was pointing a sword at Eliot's throat. I can remember that. And still you help me, take care of me, you make me tea and sit here like it's the most normal thing in the world. Why? Don't tell me you haven't read my files - I ain't exactly trustworthy material!"
Nathan raised his eyebrows. "Of course I've read your files. Question is: did you read ours? Some of us were criminals, Lindsey. Still are, just adding a little more white to the shades of grey that is the world. No good place for a high-horse attitude."
Lindsey shook his head. "Okay, you got a point there, but - that night? The sword?" He looked at Eliot. "I could have killed you!"
Eliot looked amused. "No, you couldn't have. I was awake the second you put a hand on that doorknob. There wasn't a chance for you."
Lindsey's eyes narrowed. "You left it there on purpose. You wanted to see what I would do."
Eliot clapped his hands in a mocking applause. "Smart guy. So that lawyer training paid off, I see." He leaned back with a smug grin.
Lindsey scowled. "And I failed the test. Why am I still sitting here in one piece?"
Eliot just smirked. Nathan answered instead. "Because you didn't fail. You stopped. Eliot told me a few things about you. Do you know what made him so sure you would pass?"
Lindsey shook his head, curious now. "What?"
Nathan poured himself another cup. "During the hours it took to drive here from L.A., all the time when you spoke about this Angel guy and how you fought and hated each other, how you planned for revenge - two things stood out: One, you were willing to put all differences aside because you wanted to help. Two, you never mentioned once getting revenge on that green guy."
Lindsey looked puzzled. "Lorne? Why should I?"
Nathan tilted his head. "Because he was the one who pulled the trigger? You pointed out that he was doing Angel's bidding, but he could have said no."
Lindsey let out a little laugh. "Lorne was - just another pawn in Angel's game. I'm positive that he wouldn't shoot me on his own. He never was a physical fighter, you know, and I suppose that made him feel guilty. That's why he agreed."
He turned to Eliot. "And you said he was sorry."
Eliot nodded. "Yeah. He looked… broken. But there you have your reason."
Lindsey frowned. "I don't understand."
Eliot gave him a smile. "You're not as evil as you think you are, Lindsey. You have enough honor in you not to hurt someone you think of as innocent. Reason enough for me to trust you."
Lindsey was speechless for a moment. He just stared at Eliot, his face clearly showing that he had not expected this. Then he swallowed, looked back at Nathan and had to clear his throat before he could continue. "So - you think I would fit in here? My last attempt on team - well, you know how that turned out."
Nathan and Eliot exchanged a look. Nathan looked thoughtful for a moment, and Eliot crossed his arms. "Your decision, Nate."
Nathan studied Lindsey's face again and then nodded.
"Welcome to the team, Lindsey. No one's gonna stab you in the back here, I can assure you that much."
Eliot grinned, delighted. "And as long as you don't let Parker drive you crazy, you'll do fine." He tilted his head and grinned even wider. "Eat up, man. As soon as the others are here, it's storytime for you."
"Face Value" is a verse now... *beams* Sequel called "Burn" is here.