Hanna had secured Hardison, but not taped his mouth shut or anything. No reason to. Out in the Preserve, there was no one to hear them. She did keep the gun on him, though
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"--I'm just sayin', this is a terrible plan. Believe me I know all about terrible plans? Remember the idea I had for teachin' a class that involved makin' people talk to one another? That was a damn fool plan
( ... )
Hanna had quite a bit of patience, but 27 minutes of non-stop chatter and guilt-tripping had just about used it up. She finally stopped walking, now that the ring of angels was back in sight, and turned around to say, "Shut. UP."
Then stopped, looking gobsmacked. "What on earth...?"
At least thirty teal deer looked back at her, blinking their eyes as they trailed behind Hardison, Their Speaker For This Evening.
"Oh them?" Hardison shrugged, as best her could. "I'd explain but you just told me to shut up. Which was rude, but who am I to complain? Just the guy that's been tied up an' dragged around an' used as bait. But, hey! If you don't want me talkin' I ain't gonna talk. I'll just stand here, nice an' quiet, an' you can figure out the deer by yourself."
The tracker had let them know the clearing with the angels was clear long before they made it that far into the preserve, allowing Eliot and Parker to hatch a plan. Eliot couldn't help but grin a little at the noise Hardison made as they made their return approach, though. His husband never did know when to shut up. It was one of his more charming traits.
Eliot stood in the center of the clearing, leaning on one of the angels, his hand loose on the end of his cane. "Time's up, darlin'!" he called. "Why don't you come out here and we can work this out?"
... to see Hardison and Parker swooping upward, as Parker imitated Tarzan, and grabbed him on her way through the trees using her improvised rapelling line.
"Hey girl," Hardison said, grinning at his wonderful, beautiful, amazing wife. "Just in time. You sure do love to make your entrances. Gimme a kiss, then cut me loose so we can keep our husband from doin' anythin' crazy, like chargin' at the girl with a gun."
Oh honey, it was far too late for that. Eliot's cane was left on the ground behind the statues and he was already across the clearing charging straight for the girl with the gun.
He was seriously going to regret this later when Hardison had to carry him out of the preserve, but for the time being, he was taking the threat to his family out.
Hanna had been staring upward, totally shocked-- had she forgotten that Parker did that kind of thing? Or had she never known? -- but Spencer's rush was another shock. She'd made her plans assuming he couldn't move faster than a fast hobble, and now she was having to defend herself from a grimly determined man with twenty years' experience more than she had.
She brought the gun up to shoot him, but it was already slower than she should have been.
He should have brought his cane. He could have used it to knock the gun out of her hand. This was what happened when Hardison and Parker let him get out of practice.
He jigged to the side, his leg nearly going out from under him. He ducked into her reach, slamming an elbow into her gun arm, and used his momentum to bring them both down to the ground.
Parker meanwhile, was lowering both herself and Hardison from ten feet up, and ripping open the harness as fast as she could, then grabbing a knife to cut through the zip-ties he'd been restrained with. "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you later-- ELIOT CUT THAT OUT!"
Hey! What had Hardison done! Other than, you know, going right along with the kidnapper.
Objection withdrawn.
"I'm fine, mama, just a little outta breath from all that talkin' and my arms are filled with pins an' needles. But I'm more worried about Eliot wrestlin' with her an' his bad leg!"
Which was basically him giving Parker permission to do whatever she needed to do so they could help out Eliot. Even if it was leave him dangling here so she could help him.
Hanna bared her teeth and kicked out, which got her up and over him-- and then yelled as he twisted her wrist, and the gun fell from her fingers. Another kick out toward his hand got her free- albeit with a wrist that felt sprained. But now she didn't have the weapon, and he did. So trying to get back under his reach was her only choice, with short, fast blows aimed at his chest.
Eliot absorbed the blows as he grabbed the gun, ejecting the magazine and dechambering the round before throwing the pieces in opposite directions. "That's a mistake." He threw her over onto her back again, pressing his forearm to her neck. "If I can't get any info from you, I got no reason to keep you alive."
"The Bravta!" Hardison said, stumbling forward, out from the treeline and towards the fighting pair. He knew Eliot was likely just bluffing, knew that he just wanted Hanna to talk--but he also knew how Eliot got when someone threatened his family. And Hanna hadn't managed to kill him like she'd intended, so Hardison would be damned before he let Eliot kill off part of his soul for her. "She mentioned the Bravta to me when she was first tyin' me up. She didn't wanna do this, but she owed 'em. Owed 'em somethin' big. This was s'posed to be her last job before she disappeared, free an' clear."
He tried to catch Eliot's eyes. "She didn't hurt me. Don't excuse what she wanted to do, but she didn't hurt me."
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Then stopped, looking gobsmacked. "What on earth...?"
At least thirty teal deer looked back at her, blinking their eyes as they trailed behind Hardison, Their Speaker For This Evening.
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Eliot stood in the center of the clearing, leaning on one of the angels, his hand loose on the end of his cane. "Time's up, darlin'!" he called. "Why don't you come out here and we can work this out?"
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The deer were unmoved. And unmoving.
"I swear I will--"
And that would be Eliot Spencer, calling her out. Flustered, Hanna turned back around, not liking being caught unprepared...
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"GOT HIM!"
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Priorities!
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He was seriously going to regret this later when Hardison had to carry him out of the preserve, but for the time being, he was taking the threat to his family out.
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She brought the gun up to shoot him, but it was already slower than she should have been.
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He jigged to the side, his leg nearly going out from under him. He ducked into her reach, slamming an elbow into her gun arm, and used his momentum to bring them both down to the ground.
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Aggh! Husbands!
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Objection withdrawn.
"I'm fine, mama, just a little outta breath from all that talkin' and my arms are filled with pins an' needles. But I'm more worried about Eliot wrestlin' with her an' his bad leg!"
Which was basically him giving Parker permission to do whatever she needed to do so they could help out Eliot. Even if it was leave him dangling here so she could help him.
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He grabbed onto Hanna's wrist and twisted to try to get her to let go of the gun. "Who the hell sent you?"
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"Doesn't matter. They'll send more."
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He tried to catch Eliot's eyes. "She didn't hurt me. Don't excuse what she wanted to do, but she didn't hurt me."
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