The First Final Bow Job
Title: The First Final Bow Job
Author: Magpie
Rating: pg-13
Genre: Sophie, Eliot
Verse:
Summary: There were only three members of the team in the audience that night.
Notes: Takes place sometime in season three.
The rehearsals had been going on for weeks and Sophie had been doing everything she could to not miss them. This was her big comeback, her big break. She had found herself, learned to tell the truth…
And maybe now… maybe now she could act in a way that wouldn’t result in those pained and forced smiles from her team mates.
She knew she was horrible.
And she knew now… now she was starting to do better.
She bought everyone on the team tickets for opening night and asked them to please come, to see that she’s improved since The Sound of Music fiasco.
They actually seem willing to consider the change.
She’s excited, exhilarated, something in her had always felt *right* on a stage and now the rest of her might be able to keep up.
Right until Eliot shows up at her apartment the morning of the show with an expression she doesn’t understand, and tells her he can’t come to the show.
Her first instinct is to think he’s chickening out and to be hurt that he wasn’t willing to give her another shot.
But she sees the look in his eyes and the way he’s *not* looking at her and she softens her voice to as k “Why?”
He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out what she recognizes as a program for the show, opens it to the first page and taps the health warning near the bottom, informing viewers that strobe lights and bright flashes are used over the course of the show and may induce seizures.
She looks up at him, confused, horrified, they’d known him for almost four years. How could they not? “You have…”
He shook his head. “No… but I’ve spent enough time in warzones…” His voice trailed off another moment before finishing. “Dark room, lots of people, bright lights flashing, maybe somethin’ happenin’ on stage that causes the crowd to make some noise?” Finally he met her eyes. “I can’t tell you what would happen, but chances are it triggers a flashback then the team or innocent people could get hurt.”
She moved her mouth, trying to make some response, reaching out to touch his shoulder just to ground him there and chase off the ghost of a soldier she could see lingering around him. “It’s okay Eliot. I understand.”
He grinned and the moment passed and the ghost was gone and he used that tone of his as he told her. “You knock ‘em dead tonight.” Then he turned and headed off down the street.
She went inside and called Hardison, idea already forming in her mind.
There were only three members of her team in the audience that night.
But when they all got back to the offices to celebrate Eliot was there, a bunch of irises already in a vase that would go quite lovely in her living room.
A final freeze frame of her final bow on the tv monitors from the button cam Hardison had worn.
There had only been three members of her team in the audience, but they had all seen her first success as an actress.
Author: Magpie
Rating: pg-13
Genre: Sophie, Eliot
Verse:
Summary: There were only three members of the team in the audience that night.
Notes: Takes place sometime in season three.
The rehearsals had been going on for weeks and Sophie had been doing everything she could to not miss them. This was her big comeback, her big break. She had found herself, learned to tell the truth…
And maybe now… maybe now she could act in a way that wouldn’t result in those pained and forced smiles from her team mates.
She knew she was horrible.
And she knew now… now she was starting to do better.
She bought everyone on the team tickets for opening night and asked them to please come, to see that she’s improved since The Sound of Music fiasco.
They actually seem willing to consider the change.
She’s excited, exhilarated, something in her had always felt *right* on a stage and now the rest of her might be able to keep up.
Right until Eliot shows up at her apartment the morning of the show with an expression she doesn’t understand, and tells her he can’t come to the show.
Her first instinct is to think he’s chickening out and to be hurt that he wasn’t willing to give her another shot.
But she sees the look in his eyes and the way he’s *not* looking at her and she softens her voice to as k “Why?”
He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out what she recognizes as a program for the show, opens it to the first page and taps the health warning near the bottom, informing viewers that strobe lights and bright flashes are used over the course of the show and may induce seizures.
She looks up at him, confused, horrified, they’d known him for almost four years. How could they not? “You have…”
He shook his head. “No… but I’ve spent enough time in warzones…” His voice trailed off another moment before finishing. “Dark room, lots of people, bright lights flashing, maybe somethin’ happenin’ on stage that causes the crowd to make some noise?” Finally he met her eyes. “I can’t tell you what would happen, but chances are it triggers a flashback then the team or innocent people could get hurt.”
She moved her mouth, trying to make some response, reaching out to touch his shoulder just to ground him there and chase off the ghost of a soldier she could see lingering around him. “It’s okay Eliot. I understand.”
He grinned and the moment passed and the ghost was gone and he used that tone of his as he told her. “You knock ‘em dead tonight.” Then he turned and headed off down the street.
She went inside and called Hardison, idea already forming in her mind.
There were only three members of her team in the audience that night.
But when they all got back to the offices to celebrate Eliot was there, a bunch of irises already in a vase that would go quite lovely in her living room.
A final freeze frame of her final bow on the tv monitors from the button cam Hardison had worn.
There had only been three members of her team in the audience, but they had all seen her first success as an actress.