Mod Gift #23 - For Lady Yashka!
Title: Brother to Brother
Author: telaryn
Giftee: lady_yashka
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Eliot Spencer, Lindsey McDonald, Lilah Morgan
Word Count: 1325
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No money made, no ownership implied.
Summary: Eliot travels to Wolfram & Hart to listen to Lindsey's proposal for a working relationship between them.
Notes: For lady_yashka with thanks for your participation in this year's Leverage Exchange.
“I need you.”
It wasn’t a call Eliot Spencer would willingly ignore from his twin brother. Lindsey Spencer - McDonald, Eliot mentally corrected himself - prided himself on never needing anyone. Between them Lindsey was the elder twin by nearly eight minutes, and had been holding that fact over Eliot’s head for as long as Eliot could remember.
He’d chafed at the idea of wearing his best suit to the meeting, but now that he was here in the lobby of Wolfram & Hart, Attorneys at Law, Eliot understood why Lindsey had insisted. ”Power, Eliot,” he could hear his twin saying. ”Best way to get it is to make people believe you already have it.” He’d been singing one verse or another of the same song since they were kids.
A leggy, power-suited brunette walked by, giving him a passing, almost dismissive glance. 3…2…1… Eliot mentally counted down, waiting for the double take that came right on cue. “Not him,” he said, when she gaped at him. “He’s my brother.” He’d been delivering variations on the same speech for the better part of half an hour.
Unlike the others, who’d laughed uncomfortably and hurried away, the brunette came closer - her stiletto heels clicking sharply on the tile floor. “I see that,” she said, obviously fascinated by the resemblance. “It’s so weird seeing Lindsey McDonald with long hair and scruff.” After leaning around to check out Eliot’s ponytail, she met his eyes and smiled. “I’m so sorry,” she said brightly. “I’m not usually this rude. Lilah Morgan. Lindsey and I work in the same department.”
Eliot got to his feet before taking her hand. “Eliot,” he said simply - not wanting to provoke the inevitable questions as to why he had a different last name from his identical twin.
“Please to meet you, Eliot,” Lilah said, making no secret of her interest. “Do you live in Los Angeles?”
They talked for several minutes, with Eliot dodging the woman’s questions as best he could. Lindsey had left as much of his past buried as possible when he left Oklahoma, and Eliot wasn’t going to be the one to ruin it for him. She’s good though, he was forced to admit. If Lindsey hadn’t been the subject, Eliot could have been happy crossing verbal swords with Lilah Morgan all the back to his hotel room.
“Holland’s looking for you, Lilah.” Eliot and Lilah turned together to see Lindsey approaching. “Something about a proposal for Worthington Enterprises that was due yesterday?”
When she looked at Eliot again Lilah’s expression was perfect “airhead female”, but he hadn’t missed the flash of predatory hatred in her eyes when Lindsey had brought up her apparent oversight. “Never ends - I swear. It has been a real pleasure talking to you, Eliot,” she said, taking his hand and pressing it between her two. “I hope I have a chance to see you again while you’re in Los Angeles?”
“That’s up to Lindsey here,” Eliot said, slipping a little into his ‘good ole boy’ persona as he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. “But it has been a pleasure Ms. Morgan.”
“Your shots are up to date, right?” Lindsey asked under his breath, as they watched Lilah resume her path to the South Tower Elevators.
Eliot snorted softly. “Give me a little credit, would you? I know it’s been a while, but…” He let his voice trail off meaningfully.
“Come on,” Lindsey said finally, clapping Eliot on the shoulder. “We’ll talk in my office.”
*************
Meeting with Eliot here was a gamble - if he’d wanted actual privacy, he would have done this somewhere off site - but once again Lindsey was playing a complicated game. He was finally ready to start moving up in the Special Projects Department, and Eliot was the final puzzle piece that would get him where he wanted to go. That was why he’d left him sitting in the lobby, and why he made a show of walking him past as many people in Special Projects as possible.
Granted, he hadn’t liked seeing Lilah Morgan try to screw her hooks into Eliot. On the other hand, letting the ambitious attorney wear herself out against Eliot’s iron will was a plan he mentally filed away for future consideration. He knew his brother wouldn’t object, and if there was one person on the planet Lindsey actually trusted, it was the man walking beside him.
“The suit looks good,” he said, ushering Eliot into his office at last. “Gotta say, I was worried you’d show up in something off-the-rack.”
Eliot rolled his eyes. “How many years have I been listening to your philosophical lectures on life in corporate America? I don’t exactly have a closet full of these things like you do, but I did make the investment.” He took one of the comfortable chairs for himself - Lindsey sat in the other, deliberately ignoring the power position behind his desk.
“I do appreciate you coming out here like this,” he said. “Don’t think I don’t - and it’s good to see you.” Just being here with Eliot loosened some of that all-pervasive tension that seemed to be a hallmark of working for Wolfram & Hart. He wasn’t alone. He had someone to watch his back.
He wondered if Eliot understood how he felt. Even though Lindsey had always been in charge, they’d been inseparable growing up - each one rarely making a move without the other. He’d regretted losing that when he’d left Oklahoma, but Lindsey was determined to break away from the family’s mining legacy no matter what it cost him.
“You’re getting sentimental,” Eliot said, bringing Lindsey to his senses. “I always said you thought too much.”
“Sorry,” he said, acknowledging his twin’s point. “You’re right. We’ve got dinner for reminiscing.” He paused. “Unless you’ve got other plans?”
Eliot shrugged. “You said clear my schedule, so I cleared my schedule. What’s going on?”
Here it was; the final piece of his puzzle ready to be set in place. “I want to put you on retainer,” he said finally. “Special Projects often has need of people with your talents - I want to be able to call on you when one of those circumstances crosses my desk.”
*************
Now that the offer was on the metaphorical table, Eliot understood how important this was to his brother. His distracted behavior had been far enough out of character to be disturbing without being put in its proper context. “Who would I be reporting to?” was the first question that sprang to mind. “Am I working for Wolfram & Hart, or for you?”
“Me,” Lindsey said without hesitation. “Wolfram & Hart would pay your fee, but you’d stay an independent contractor, expensed to whatever case I’m working on at the time.” He paused. “If you’re approached by one of the other attorneys in the firm, you’re of course free to make your own deals…”
Eliot laughed. “Not likely, if that Lilah Morgan is any indication of the kind of people you’ve got around here. I mean, what the hell, Linds?”
To his horror, Lindsey didn’t immediately agree with him. “I may want to talk to you about a side job involving her,” he said. “At any rate, that’s the deal. Thoughts?”
Eliot considered what Lindsey had said, and couldn’t find any reason to reject his twin. Lindsey knew him better than anyone on the planet - he knew exactly what Eliot would and would not tolerate from his clients. “We can hammer out the particulars later,” he said finally, “but for now give me some idea of the kind of work we’re talking about.”
Lindsey got up and went to his desk - returning a moment later with a half-full bottle of Scotch and two glasses. “Well first I have to bring you up to speed with what we do in Special Projects.” Amber liquid splashed into each glass, then Lindsey passed Eliot his drink.
“First - vampires, werewolves and demons are real.”
Author: telaryn
Giftee: lady_yashka
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Eliot Spencer, Lindsey McDonald, Lilah Morgan
Word Count: 1325
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No money made, no ownership implied.
Summary: Eliot travels to Wolfram & Hart to listen to Lindsey's proposal for a working relationship between them.
Notes: For lady_yashka with thanks for your participation in this year's Leverage Exchange.
“I need you.”
It wasn’t a call Eliot Spencer would willingly ignore from his twin brother. Lindsey Spencer - McDonald, Eliot mentally corrected himself - prided himself on never needing anyone. Between them Lindsey was the elder twin by nearly eight minutes, and had been holding that fact over Eliot’s head for as long as Eliot could remember.
He’d chafed at the idea of wearing his best suit to the meeting, but now that he was here in the lobby of Wolfram & Hart, Attorneys at Law, Eliot understood why Lindsey had insisted. ”Power, Eliot,” he could hear his twin saying. ”Best way to get it is to make people believe you already have it.” He’d been singing one verse or another of the same song since they were kids.
A leggy, power-suited brunette walked by, giving him a passing, almost dismissive glance. 3…2…1… Eliot mentally counted down, waiting for the double take that came right on cue. “Not him,” he said, when she gaped at him. “He’s my brother.” He’d been delivering variations on the same speech for the better part of half an hour.
Unlike the others, who’d laughed uncomfortably and hurried away, the brunette came closer - her stiletto heels clicking sharply on the tile floor. “I see that,” she said, obviously fascinated by the resemblance. “It’s so weird seeing Lindsey McDonald with long hair and scruff.” After leaning around to check out Eliot’s ponytail, she met his eyes and smiled. “I’m so sorry,” she said brightly. “I’m not usually this rude. Lilah Morgan. Lindsey and I work in the same department.”
Eliot got to his feet before taking her hand. “Eliot,” he said simply - not wanting to provoke the inevitable questions as to why he had a different last name from his identical twin.
“Please to meet you, Eliot,” Lilah said, making no secret of her interest. “Do you live in Los Angeles?”
They talked for several minutes, with Eliot dodging the woman’s questions as best he could. Lindsey had left as much of his past buried as possible when he left Oklahoma, and Eliot wasn’t going to be the one to ruin it for him. She’s good though, he was forced to admit. If Lindsey hadn’t been the subject, Eliot could have been happy crossing verbal swords with Lilah Morgan all the back to his hotel room.
“Holland’s looking for you, Lilah.” Eliot and Lilah turned together to see Lindsey approaching. “Something about a proposal for Worthington Enterprises that was due yesterday?”
When she looked at Eliot again Lilah’s expression was perfect “airhead female”, but he hadn’t missed the flash of predatory hatred in her eyes when Lindsey had brought up her apparent oversight. “Never ends - I swear. It has been a real pleasure talking to you, Eliot,” she said, taking his hand and pressing it between her two. “I hope I have a chance to see you again while you’re in Los Angeles?”
“That’s up to Lindsey here,” Eliot said, slipping a little into his ‘good ole boy’ persona as he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. “But it has been a pleasure Ms. Morgan.”
“Your shots are up to date, right?” Lindsey asked under his breath, as they watched Lilah resume her path to the South Tower Elevators.
Eliot snorted softly. “Give me a little credit, would you? I know it’s been a while, but…” He let his voice trail off meaningfully.
“Come on,” Lindsey said finally, clapping Eliot on the shoulder. “We’ll talk in my office.”
*************
Meeting with Eliot here was a gamble - if he’d wanted actual privacy, he would have done this somewhere off site - but once again Lindsey was playing a complicated game. He was finally ready to start moving up in the Special Projects Department, and Eliot was the final puzzle piece that would get him where he wanted to go. That was why he’d left him sitting in the lobby, and why he made a show of walking him past as many people in Special Projects as possible.
Granted, he hadn’t liked seeing Lilah Morgan try to screw her hooks into Eliot. On the other hand, letting the ambitious attorney wear herself out against Eliot’s iron will was a plan he mentally filed away for future consideration. He knew his brother wouldn’t object, and if there was one person on the planet Lindsey actually trusted, it was the man walking beside him.
“The suit looks good,” he said, ushering Eliot into his office at last. “Gotta say, I was worried you’d show up in something off-the-rack.”
Eliot rolled his eyes. “How many years have I been listening to your philosophical lectures on life in corporate America? I don’t exactly have a closet full of these things like you do, but I did make the investment.” He took one of the comfortable chairs for himself - Lindsey sat in the other, deliberately ignoring the power position behind his desk.
“I do appreciate you coming out here like this,” he said. “Don’t think I don’t - and it’s good to see you.” Just being here with Eliot loosened some of that all-pervasive tension that seemed to be a hallmark of working for Wolfram & Hart. He wasn’t alone. He had someone to watch his back.
He wondered if Eliot understood how he felt. Even though Lindsey had always been in charge, they’d been inseparable growing up - each one rarely making a move without the other. He’d regretted losing that when he’d left Oklahoma, but Lindsey was determined to break away from the family’s mining legacy no matter what it cost him.
“You’re getting sentimental,” Eliot said, bringing Lindsey to his senses. “I always said you thought too much.”
“Sorry,” he said, acknowledging his twin’s point. “You’re right. We’ve got dinner for reminiscing.” He paused. “Unless you’ve got other plans?”
Eliot shrugged. “You said clear my schedule, so I cleared my schedule. What’s going on?”
Here it was; the final piece of his puzzle ready to be set in place. “I want to put you on retainer,” he said finally. “Special Projects often has need of people with your talents - I want to be able to call on you when one of those circumstances crosses my desk.”
*************
Now that the offer was on the metaphorical table, Eliot understood how important this was to his brother. His distracted behavior had been far enough out of character to be disturbing without being put in its proper context. “Who would I be reporting to?” was the first question that sprang to mind. “Am I working for Wolfram & Hart, or for you?”
“Me,” Lindsey said without hesitation. “Wolfram & Hart would pay your fee, but you’d stay an independent contractor, expensed to whatever case I’m working on at the time.” He paused. “If you’re approached by one of the other attorneys in the firm, you’re of course free to make your own deals…”
Eliot laughed. “Not likely, if that Lilah Morgan is any indication of the kind of people you’ve got around here. I mean, what the hell, Linds?”
To his horror, Lindsey didn’t immediately agree with him. “I may want to talk to you about a side job involving her,” he said. “At any rate, that’s the deal. Thoughts?”
Eliot considered what Lindsey had said, and couldn’t find any reason to reject his twin. Lindsey knew him better than anyone on the planet - he knew exactly what Eliot would and would not tolerate from his clients. “We can hammer out the particulars later,” he said finally, “but for now give me some idea of the kind of work we’re talking about.”
Lindsey got up and went to his desk - returning a moment later with a half-full bottle of Scotch and two glasses. “Well first I have to bring you up to speed with what we do in Special Projects.” Amber liquid splashed into each glass, then Lindsey passed Eliot his drink.
“First - vampires, werewolves and demons are real.”