Fic: The Great Pretender
Fic: The Great Pretender
Author: LMX
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: None
Warnings: Deathfic
Spoilers: 2.15 - VERY EXPLICIT ONES, DO NOT SPOILER :p
AN: Comment Fic for ziplockeddaze Leverage, Team, "The Great Pretender"
Nathan Ford once looked through a file of names and thought 'I can't work with these people'. One was insane, one had done a brief stint of jail time because of him and the third he had shot, at least once, and still not managed to catch. And then Nate had taken another drink from his glass and stared into the alcohol for a moment. Better this than a long slow drawn out… He pushed the glass to one side and took the job.
Later he'd found himself working with these unstable personalities, plus a fourth who had already shot him once, and it felt like walking a tightrope. Any minute they might turn on him. The exhilaration was fantastic, a rush like Nate hadn't felt since he was out in the field doing retrieval for IYS. Slowly he fooled himself into thinking he might have trained these thieves and killers. Housebroken them.
They parted friends, and Nate worried constantly how his pets were doing in the wild. Whether they could survive the way he has remade them, whether they were being good.
They met again and they told him they'd found the middle ground. Done bad things in good ways or for good purposes. Found ways to be harmless. He was proud of them, and shouldn't really have been surprised when they moved into his space like the pets they were.
It was nearly a year later when everything caught up to them and Nate shot and handcuffed to a boat. This wasn't quite how he'd seen this going, but the team were getting on a helicopter behind him and Sterling was smirking far too happily. He thought about telling him what a mistake he'd made. What he'd let loose on the world. He stayed quiet.
They waited until Nate was mostly healed before acting. Maybe that had been tactical, or maybe they just needed that much time. He had been moved back into police custody when he left the hospital, waiting for a transfer to a secure facility. The power went out first, and then all the police frequencies were blocked. Nate could hear the panic from his cell. There were six big explosions, leaving Nate's ears ringing, and suddenly Sophie was at his side, the rear wall blown away. There was a gun in Sophie's hand, and Parker was carrying a detonator and some big firearm. Five policemen and two FBI were shot down as Sophie and Parker dragged Nate towards the sunlight. Hardison was waiting for them in a new van, the city grid up on his computer. He pressed enter before climbing into the driver's seat. Nate could feel the vibrations of a much bigger explosion though the walls of the van. He didn't ask where Eliot was. He thought he might already know.
They arrived at his apartment, and Eliot was there waiting. He stepped aside as he let them in and Sterling was there, tied to a chair. His head was resting on his chest, his face and body bloodied, clothes ripped. Nate glanced at Eliot.
"Is he still alive?" he asked blandly.
Eliot nodded once, and Nate considered Sterling carefully.
"Good." he nodded.
Eliot grinned at the praise. Nate looked around, found Sophie, Hardison, Parker.
"You've all done very well." he smiled, no point in pretending now. He knew what he wanted. He turned his back on Sterling, touched Eliot's shoulder as he walked away. "You can kill him now."
Author: LMX
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: None
Warnings: Deathfic
Spoilers: 2.15 - VERY EXPLICIT ONES, DO NOT SPOILER :p
AN: Comment Fic for ziplockeddaze Leverage, Team, "The Great Pretender"
Nathan Ford once looked through a file of names and thought 'I can't work with these people'. One was insane, one had done a brief stint of jail time because of him and the third he had shot, at least once, and still not managed to catch. And then Nate had taken another drink from his glass and stared into the alcohol for a moment. Better this than a long slow drawn out… He pushed the glass to one side and took the job.
Later he'd found himself working with these unstable personalities, plus a fourth who had already shot him once, and it felt like walking a tightrope. Any minute they might turn on him. The exhilaration was fantastic, a rush like Nate hadn't felt since he was out in the field doing retrieval for IYS. Slowly he fooled himself into thinking he might have trained these thieves and killers. Housebroken them.
They parted friends, and Nate worried constantly how his pets were doing in the wild. Whether they could survive the way he has remade them, whether they were being good.
They met again and they told him they'd found the middle ground. Done bad things in good ways or for good purposes. Found ways to be harmless. He was proud of them, and shouldn't really have been surprised when they moved into his space like the pets they were.
It was nearly a year later when everything caught up to them and Nate shot and handcuffed to a boat. This wasn't quite how he'd seen this going, but the team were getting on a helicopter behind him and Sterling was smirking far too happily. He thought about telling him what a mistake he'd made. What he'd let loose on the world. He stayed quiet.
They waited until Nate was mostly healed before acting. Maybe that had been tactical, or maybe they just needed that much time. He had been moved back into police custody when he left the hospital, waiting for a transfer to a secure facility. The power went out first, and then all the police frequencies were blocked. Nate could hear the panic from his cell. There were six big explosions, leaving Nate's ears ringing, and suddenly Sophie was at his side, the rear wall blown away. There was a gun in Sophie's hand, and Parker was carrying a detonator and some big firearm. Five policemen and two FBI were shot down as Sophie and Parker dragged Nate towards the sunlight. Hardison was waiting for them in a new van, the city grid up on his computer. He pressed enter before climbing into the driver's seat. Nate could feel the vibrations of a much bigger explosion though the walls of the van. He didn't ask where Eliot was. He thought he might already know.
They arrived at his apartment, and Eliot was there waiting. He stepped aside as he let them in and Sterling was there, tied to a chair. His head was resting on his chest, his face and body bloodied, clothes ripped. Nate glanced at Eliot.
"Is he still alive?" he asked blandly.
Eliot nodded once, and Nate considered Sterling carefully.
"Good." he nodded.
Eliot grinned at the praise. Nate looked around, found Sophie, Hardison, Parker.
"You've all done very well." he smiled, no point in pretending now. He knew what he wanted. He turned his back on Sterling, touched Eliot's shoulder as he walked away. "You can kill him now."