Xmas FIC: The Christmas Day Job - M7/Leverage - Ezra, Parker
My Christmas present to you all, whether you celebrate or not.
Title: The Christmas Day Job
Author: Lyl (lyl_devil)
Rating: PG
Character: Ezra Standish - Magnificent Seven
Fandom: Leverage
Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes occasionally.
Prompt table -> HERE
Prompt - 092: Christmas
Words: ~1800
Summary: The Christmas tree was covered in jewels. Ezra wasn’t really surprised.
Note: Set a few hours after 'The Ho, Ho, Ho Job'. Set in the same universe as The Reunion Job.
~!~
The Christmas tree was covered in jewels. Stolen jewels. Ezra wasn’t really surprised that Parker was using her stash as ornaments - it was something she’d been doing for nearly as long as they’d known each other. Granted, those first few Christmases were mostly Rolexes and bracelets from their most recent bout of pick pocketing. The more high end variety hadn’t started until after she’d finished training with Leech.
If nothing else, the tree gave Ezra a timeline for her whereabouts over the last few years. Dubai in 2005 - mid-May if he wasn’t mistaken; Antwerp in July of 2007; New York, November 2006.
While waiting for Parker to finish her celebration with her team in the bar downstairs, Ezra busied himself with cataloguing her professional history. Whenever word of a robbery made its way around the world, Ezra tried to determine if it had been Parker or another thief. As he surveyed the tree, Ezra was pleased to see that he’d been correct many times over - and wrong, once or twice. There were also a couple surprises, like the Sunset Opal he saw hanging near a large pink diamond he was fairly certain was the Rosalind Diamond. A few pieces were missing from the Christmas collection - dubbed that by Ezra himself a few years ago - and Ezra assumed Parker had sold off a few pieces over the years.
But the most important piece was there, hidden in plain sight next to a brilliant ruby tiara he’d last heard was in the possession of some fairly unpleasant Yakuza.
The door to the apartment opened behind him, and Ezra didn’t bother to turn around. There were no footsteps to announce her presence among the others, but after years of exposure Ezra had developed a sense of Parker’s presence in relation to his own. He could feel her at his back.
“Lovely tree you have here,” he commented to the group in general before turning to face them.
“You came!” Parker squealed, running towards him. Ezra barely had time to brace for the impact, before surprisingly strong arms wrapped tightly around his neck and he was stumbling back several steps.
“I missed you too,” he murmured into her hair, wrapping her in a tight hug. He really did miss this girl who was as close to a sister as he’d ever had.
Parker just tightened her hold, repeating ‘you came’ over and over, as if she hadn’t believed he would.
Sometimes Ezra hated his mother and Leech for making her doubt her worth as an actual person.
“Of course I came,” he said, lightly scolding. “You have a semi-permanent address for a change, so you were much easier to track down this year.” He deliberately didn’t mention the previous year, where a bullet and a garrison of angry henchmen had kept him from finding her.
Pulling away from her, Ezra looked down into her glowing face and felt an answering smile lift his lips.
“Parker? Care to introduce us to your friend?” Ezra looked up and over Parker’s shoulder at the four people wearing a mixture of expressions from curiosity to suspicion to outright jealousy.
“What name are you going by?” she asked him under her breath, her arms still locked around his waist.
“Do you trust them?” Ezra asked. He suspected he knew the answer already, but wanted her confirmation.
“With my life,” she told him, serious and earnest. “With yours, too.”
Ezra wasn’t really surprised, and gave her a genuine smile. He was glad she’d found a team - a family - that appreciated her for more than simply her skills.
“Ezra Standish, at your service,” greeted them, nodding in their direction. As expected, two of them looked confused, and the other two looked mildly shocked - or as shocked as grifters and thieves ever let themselves show.
He’d made a point to research each person on this team that Parker had taken as her family, and hadn’t been surprised to recognize a name - or alias - he was more than passingly familiar with.
“Marseilles, 2002,” announced Ford, sounding as if he was finally placing a face to a name.
“Why yes, it was,” agreed Ezra. Normally he wouldn’t confirm or deny any involvement in anything, but this was for Parker who up until recently, was the only person on the planet he trusted with his life.
Larabee and the others had changed all that.
“Nate?” asked Spencer, his attention never leaving Ezra. Under different circumstances Ezra would likely feel unnerved by the close scrutiny and violent undertones barely held in check, however nearly two years around Vin Tanner had given him something of an immunity. He also knew it was a protective anger, rather than a true violent anger.
It felt more familiar than anything, which he tried not to show.
“He’s a grifter,” Ford announced. “A very gifted one, too. Though, I had heard you were dead.”
Ezra raised a shoulder in a minute shrug. “The rumours of my demise are patently false, though they suited my purpose at the time.” He refused to go into more detail for many, many reasons, mostly because it was none of their business.
“Now, I hate to meet and dash, but I have a holiday tradition to complete with Parker - if she’s willing” the rapidly nodding head told him Parker was on board, “- and not a lot of time before my own team comes looking for me.”
He turned to Parker, “I wouldn’t put it past them to have placed a tracker on my person, despite my caution and a thorough search.”
Parker just laughed and kicked off her own shoes, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Hardison - the jealous looking one - grumbled in the background.
“And this team of yours would be…?” Ford queried, moving further into the room, hands in his pockets.
“Simply a group of people I trust, who for some reason feel a need to keep a constant watch on me.” Ezra shrugged as if the idea were completely beyond his ability to comprehend, but had a feeling none of them were buying it. Likely due to prolonged exposure to Sophie Devereux.
Ezra would love to go up against Ms Devereux, grifter to grifter, to see who would come out on top. By the look in her eye, the lovely brunette was having similar thoughts.
Maybe later. At the moment, Ezra had a plane to catch and an accomplice to update.
Ezra turned to Parker, “We’d best be off, my dear,” mostly to see the narrowing of several pairs of eyes. Really, they were too easy, Ezra smiled internally.
“You can’t just walk out of here with a member of my team on a moment’s notice,” announced Ford, eyes flicking between the two of them.
“Nate, it’s Christmas,” argued Parker, already moving to grab the various tools and accoutrements she’d likely come packed with and would probably need in the coming twenty four hours. “I can’t ignore a Christmas tradition.” Ezra loved Parker for the simple reason that she said it as if Nathan Ford was stabbing the baby Jesus in front of Santa and his elves while stomping on gingerbread cookies, and really meant it.
Ezra hid another smile.
Maude had usually left them alone the days surrounding Christmas, having better luck swindling the rich if there were no children to tag along and hinder her. Ezra and Parker had found a way to pass the boredom thru several small cons and other activities, which usually culminated in a Christmas day (or night) heist of some sort. Even when she’d been in training with Leech, Ezra still managed to find her and they’d go steal something. Leech had spent the holidays with his family, leaving Parker alone, and had been none the wiser about his protégé’s activities.
Since then, Ezra had always made a point to find Parker on Christmas, no matter where she was, and they’d go relieve someone of several millions of dollars in jewels. With a few embellishments of their own.
Which reminded him, “Don’t forget the pearl.” Parker spun on her toes to face the tree, pulled off a pearl necklace and brought it over to Ezra for him to place around her neck.
“You got yours?” she asked as he worked the clasp. In response, Ezra held his right hand in front of her, displaying the emerald ring on his finger. “Great.”
“Is that the Sultan’s Ring?” asked a very surprised Sophie, garnering everyone’s attention to the garish gold and green on his hand. “But that was stolen in 1998!”
“Was it?” Ezra shrugged a shoulder very nonchalantly, “I don’t rightly remember when I got it, but it’s been in my possession for years.”
Parker grinning up at him didn’t help his credibility.
“And is that the South Sea Pearl?” demanded Sophie, pointing at Parker’s necklace. It, like the ring, had been some of the very first items they’d stolen together, beyond pick pocketing. They’d kept them all these years, and only brought them out when they did this one job on Christmas day. It was part of the tradition.
“You can’t just break in to my apartment and take off with a member of my team,” protested Ford.
“You should learn to relax more, Mr Ford. All this worry and stress cannot be healthy for your liver,” Ezra said. Parker, well into his personal space as per normal, snorted a laugh. Ezra grinned his ‘cheeky’ grin, the one that always had Chris gritting his teeth and a particular vein pulsing in his forehead - it had similar effects on Nathan Ford. “Don’t worry, gentlemen - and lady - I shall have our dear thief back in your tender hands in approximately thirty six hours. Forty eight at the latest.”
“Yay!” Parker bounced and clapped her hands in glee. “We’re going overseas.”
Ezra looked at the wall of muscle that was blocking their path to the door, and wondered how he was going to get around Elliot Spencer. The man was too dangerous to risk any of his normal maneuvering.
Parker picked up on the obstacle, as usual. “Oooh, are we going after the English Crown Jewels?” she asked, awe and excitement in her voice, her eyes wide.
Ezra put a hand on her back and chided, “My dear, you know we never do repeats.”
Then added for good measure, “Though it does look lovely next to the Star of Asia,” and motioned at the tree.
Four separate sets of eyes snapped to the tree, and taking the distraction, Ezra slid the two of them around Spencer and out the door.
Parker started laughing as she floated down the stairs.
This was turning out to be the best Christmas so far.
END
Title: The Christmas Day Job
Author: Lyl (lyl_devil)
Rating: PG
Character: Ezra Standish - Magnificent Seven
Fandom: Leverage
Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes occasionally.
Prompt table -> HERE
Prompt - 092: Christmas
Words: ~1800
Summary: The Christmas tree was covered in jewels. Ezra wasn’t really surprised.
Note: Set a few hours after 'The Ho, Ho, Ho Job'. Set in the same universe as The Reunion Job.
~!~
The Christmas tree was covered in jewels. Stolen jewels. Ezra wasn’t really surprised that Parker was using her stash as ornaments - it was something she’d been doing for nearly as long as they’d known each other. Granted, those first few Christmases were mostly Rolexes and bracelets from their most recent bout of pick pocketing. The more high end variety hadn’t started until after she’d finished training with Leech.
If nothing else, the tree gave Ezra a timeline for her whereabouts over the last few years. Dubai in 2005 - mid-May if he wasn’t mistaken; Antwerp in July of 2007; New York, November 2006.
While waiting for Parker to finish her celebration with her team in the bar downstairs, Ezra busied himself with cataloguing her professional history. Whenever word of a robbery made its way around the world, Ezra tried to determine if it had been Parker or another thief. As he surveyed the tree, Ezra was pleased to see that he’d been correct many times over - and wrong, once or twice. There were also a couple surprises, like the Sunset Opal he saw hanging near a large pink diamond he was fairly certain was the Rosalind Diamond. A few pieces were missing from the Christmas collection - dubbed that by Ezra himself a few years ago - and Ezra assumed Parker had sold off a few pieces over the years.
But the most important piece was there, hidden in plain sight next to a brilliant ruby tiara he’d last heard was in the possession of some fairly unpleasant Yakuza.
The door to the apartment opened behind him, and Ezra didn’t bother to turn around. There were no footsteps to announce her presence among the others, but after years of exposure Ezra had developed a sense of Parker’s presence in relation to his own. He could feel her at his back.
“Lovely tree you have here,” he commented to the group in general before turning to face them.
“You came!” Parker squealed, running towards him. Ezra barely had time to brace for the impact, before surprisingly strong arms wrapped tightly around his neck and he was stumbling back several steps.
“I missed you too,” he murmured into her hair, wrapping her in a tight hug. He really did miss this girl who was as close to a sister as he’d ever had.
Parker just tightened her hold, repeating ‘you came’ over and over, as if she hadn’t believed he would.
Sometimes Ezra hated his mother and Leech for making her doubt her worth as an actual person.
“Of course I came,” he said, lightly scolding. “You have a semi-permanent address for a change, so you were much easier to track down this year.” He deliberately didn’t mention the previous year, where a bullet and a garrison of angry henchmen had kept him from finding her.
Pulling away from her, Ezra looked down into her glowing face and felt an answering smile lift his lips.
“Parker? Care to introduce us to your friend?” Ezra looked up and over Parker’s shoulder at the four people wearing a mixture of expressions from curiosity to suspicion to outright jealousy.
“What name are you going by?” she asked him under her breath, her arms still locked around his waist.
“Do you trust them?” Ezra asked. He suspected he knew the answer already, but wanted her confirmation.
“With my life,” she told him, serious and earnest. “With yours, too.”
Ezra wasn’t really surprised, and gave her a genuine smile. He was glad she’d found a team - a family - that appreciated her for more than simply her skills.
“Ezra Standish, at your service,” greeted them, nodding in their direction. As expected, two of them looked confused, and the other two looked mildly shocked - or as shocked as grifters and thieves ever let themselves show.
He’d made a point to research each person on this team that Parker had taken as her family, and hadn’t been surprised to recognize a name - or alias - he was more than passingly familiar with.
“Marseilles, 2002,” announced Ford, sounding as if he was finally placing a face to a name.
“Why yes, it was,” agreed Ezra. Normally he wouldn’t confirm or deny any involvement in anything, but this was for Parker who up until recently, was the only person on the planet he trusted with his life.
Larabee and the others had changed all that.
“Nate?” asked Spencer, his attention never leaving Ezra. Under different circumstances Ezra would likely feel unnerved by the close scrutiny and violent undertones barely held in check, however nearly two years around Vin Tanner had given him something of an immunity. He also knew it was a protective anger, rather than a true violent anger.
It felt more familiar than anything, which he tried not to show.
“He’s a grifter,” Ford announced. “A very gifted one, too. Though, I had heard you were dead.”
Ezra raised a shoulder in a minute shrug. “The rumours of my demise are patently false, though they suited my purpose at the time.” He refused to go into more detail for many, many reasons, mostly because it was none of their business.
“Now, I hate to meet and dash, but I have a holiday tradition to complete with Parker - if she’s willing” the rapidly nodding head told him Parker was on board, “- and not a lot of time before my own team comes looking for me.”
He turned to Parker, “I wouldn’t put it past them to have placed a tracker on my person, despite my caution and a thorough search.”
Parker just laughed and kicked off her own shoes, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Hardison - the jealous looking one - grumbled in the background.
“And this team of yours would be…?” Ford queried, moving further into the room, hands in his pockets.
“Simply a group of people I trust, who for some reason feel a need to keep a constant watch on me.” Ezra shrugged as if the idea were completely beyond his ability to comprehend, but had a feeling none of them were buying it. Likely due to prolonged exposure to Sophie Devereux.
Ezra would love to go up against Ms Devereux, grifter to grifter, to see who would come out on top. By the look in her eye, the lovely brunette was having similar thoughts.
Maybe later. At the moment, Ezra had a plane to catch and an accomplice to update.
Ezra turned to Parker, “We’d best be off, my dear,” mostly to see the narrowing of several pairs of eyes. Really, they were too easy, Ezra smiled internally.
“You can’t just walk out of here with a member of my team on a moment’s notice,” announced Ford, eyes flicking between the two of them.
“Nate, it’s Christmas,” argued Parker, already moving to grab the various tools and accoutrements she’d likely come packed with and would probably need in the coming twenty four hours. “I can’t ignore a Christmas tradition.” Ezra loved Parker for the simple reason that she said it as if Nathan Ford was stabbing the baby Jesus in front of Santa and his elves while stomping on gingerbread cookies, and really meant it.
Ezra hid another smile.
Maude had usually left them alone the days surrounding Christmas, having better luck swindling the rich if there were no children to tag along and hinder her. Ezra and Parker had found a way to pass the boredom thru several small cons and other activities, which usually culminated in a Christmas day (or night) heist of some sort. Even when she’d been in training with Leech, Ezra still managed to find her and they’d go steal something. Leech had spent the holidays with his family, leaving Parker alone, and had been none the wiser about his protégé’s activities.
Since then, Ezra had always made a point to find Parker on Christmas, no matter where she was, and they’d go relieve someone of several millions of dollars in jewels. With a few embellishments of their own.
Which reminded him, “Don’t forget the pearl.” Parker spun on her toes to face the tree, pulled off a pearl necklace and brought it over to Ezra for him to place around her neck.
“You got yours?” she asked as he worked the clasp. In response, Ezra held his right hand in front of her, displaying the emerald ring on his finger. “Great.”
“Is that the Sultan’s Ring?” asked a very surprised Sophie, garnering everyone’s attention to the garish gold and green on his hand. “But that was stolen in 1998!”
“Was it?” Ezra shrugged a shoulder very nonchalantly, “I don’t rightly remember when I got it, but it’s been in my possession for years.”
Parker grinning up at him didn’t help his credibility.
“And is that the South Sea Pearl?” demanded Sophie, pointing at Parker’s necklace. It, like the ring, had been some of the very first items they’d stolen together, beyond pick pocketing. They’d kept them all these years, and only brought them out when they did this one job on Christmas day. It was part of the tradition.
“You can’t just break in to my apartment and take off with a member of my team,” protested Ford.
“You should learn to relax more, Mr Ford. All this worry and stress cannot be healthy for your liver,” Ezra said. Parker, well into his personal space as per normal, snorted a laugh. Ezra grinned his ‘cheeky’ grin, the one that always had Chris gritting his teeth and a particular vein pulsing in his forehead - it had similar effects on Nathan Ford. “Don’t worry, gentlemen - and lady - I shall have our dear thief back in your tender hands in approximately thirty six hours. Forty eight at the latest.”
“Yay!” Parker bounced and clapped her hands in glee. “We’re going overseas.”
Ezra looked at the wall of muscle that was blocking their path to the door, and wondered how he was going to get around Elliot Spencer. The man was too dangerous to risk any of his normal maneuvering.
Parker picked up on the obstacle, as usual. “Oooh, are we going after the English Crown Jewels?” she asked, awe and excitement in her voice, her eyes wide.
Ezra put a hand on her back and chided, “My dear, you know we never do repeats.”
Then added for good measure, “Though it does look lovely next to the Star of Asia,” and motioned at the tree.
Four separate sets of eyes snapped to the tree, and taking the distraction, Ezra slid the two of them around Spencer and out the door.
Parker started laughing as she floated down the stairs.
This was turning out to be the best Christmas so far.
END