Fic: Family Meeting (Leverage, Gen, PG)
Author: sheryden
Rating: PG
Category: Gen
Spoilers: Episode tag for “The Two Live Crew Job”
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was, Eliot would be shirtless in half the episodes.
Summary: Nate tells the team about Sophie’s departure.
Notes: This was written as part of a Missing Scene challenge for Team Hitter over at leverageland.
Nate stood in the middle of his kitchen, feeling a little lost. He deposited his too-hot coffee down on the counter and watched as Parker and Hardison argued over the remote. Hardison was losing miserably, but both of them seemed to be enjoying the struggle.
When the door flew open a few minutes later, Nate glanced up to see Eliot swagger though it, looking flushed, refreshed, and more than a little cocky. Off with the lady hitter, no doubt. She and Eliot had hurried out of McRory’s the previous day like two teenagers hunting for a dark corner at a party.
Hardison snickered as Eliot approached the couch.
“Shut up,” Eliot growled, before Hardison could utter a word.
Undeterred, Hardison snorted. “Handcuffs.”
Parker nodded. “Handcuffs.”
Eliot tossed a pillow at Hardison’s face. “I’ll handcuff you if you don’t shut up.”
“You’d enjoy it too much,” Hardison said.
Nate loved watching his team when they were like this-unguarded, relaxed…happy. Letting out a breath, he cleared his throat. “Hey guys,” he said, loud enough to get their attention. “C’mere, I want to talk to you.” He motioned for them to join him at the table.
As Parker and Hardison took their seats, Nate plunked down in a chair, sat up straight, and clasped his hands in front of him. Eliot took his time getting to the table, his eyes boring a hole in Nate as he lowered himself into a chair.
Hardison spoke first. “My Nana used to call family meetings like this,” he said. “It was never for good news.”
Parker looked around. “Shouldn’t we wait for Sophie?”
Eliot folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. “That’s what he wants to talk to us about,” he said matter-of-factly.
Nate gazed at Eliot for a moment. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Parker sat straight up. “Is she dead?”
“No, Parker,” Nate said, shooting her a look. “She’s not dead. She just… wants to take a break. Sort some stuff out.”
“Wait. You and Sophie broke up?”
Nate shook his head violently. “No, we didn’t, we -we’re not together, Parker.”
“What’d you say to her?” Eliot asked, not bothering to hide the hint of accusation in his tone.
“I didn’t say anything to her,” Nate said. “She’s just trying to work some stuff out. She asked for time.”
“So,” Hardison said slowly. “We talking about a weekend shopping trip in Paris? A holiday at the spa?”
Nate combed his fingers through his hair. “She wasn’t sure.”
“So what you’re telling us,” Eliot said, poking the table in front of Nate with his index finger, “Is that she left the team.”
“Temporarily,” Nate said quickly. “Listen, this is about Sophie trying to figure out who she is right now, and we owe her that.”
Parker shifted in her chair. “Is she at least going to stay in touch?”
“She as her cell phone,” Nate said. “But I don’t want you bothering her. Give her some space. You know, think of it like she’s on a… vacation.”
“I’d call her if she was on a vacation,” Parker said.
“Well, you’re not going to call her now,” Nate said firmly.
“What if she gets kidnapped?” Parker said seriously. “We’ll never know. In fact, I think we should call her right now.” She stood up, apparently to retrieve her phone.
“She’s not gonna get kidnapped, Parker” Nate snapped, more loudly than he intended.
Parker stopped immediately and sat back down.
Eliot pointed at Nate. “You don’t have to yell at her. She’s just asking.”
Nate held up his hands. “I’m not yelling.”
“Sounds like yelling to me,” Hardison said.
“Listen,” Nate said more, his voice more controlled this time. “We’re gonna be all right. We’re gonna do what we do, and eventually, Sophie will figure stuff out, and she’ll come back.”
“Whatever,” Eliot said, leaning back in his chair.
The four of them sat quietly, none of them moving from their seats. Nate had suspected that the news wouldn’t go over well, and he really didn’t blame them. They’d forged a comfortable dynamic with each other, and now Sophie’s absence was leaving a gap in not just their team, but their lives. In his life, too.
“Listen, guys,” he said finally. “We are going to be okay.”
Next to him, Hardison nodded. “She’ll miss us so bad pretty soon, she’ll be begging to come back.”
“She’ll probably send us all an invitation to one of her stupid plays,” Eliot suggested.
Parker just nodded but didn’t say a word.
Nate let out a breath, silently grateful that they were coming around. “You know,” he said after a moment. “I wouldn’t want Sophie to get kidnapped.” He smiled at Parker. “So maybe we should call and check on. But just this once.”
Rating: PG
Category: Gen
Spoilers: Episode tag for “The Two Live Crew Job”
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was, Eliot would be shirtless in half the episodes.
Summary: Nate tells the team about Sophie’s departure.
Notes: This was written as part of a Missing Scene challenge for Team Hitter over at leverageland.
Nate stood in the middle of his kitchen, feeling a little lost. He deposited his too-hot coffee down on the counter and watched as Parker and Hardison argued over the remote. Hardison was losing miserably, but both of them seemed to be enjoying the struggle.
When the door flew open a few minutes later, Nate glanced up to see Eliot swagger though it, looking flushed, refreshed, and more than a little cocky. Off with the lady hitter, no doubt. She and Eliot had hurried out of McRory’s the previous day like two teenagers hunting for a dark corner at a party.
Hardison snickered as Eliot approached the couch.
“Shut up,” Eliot growled, before Hardison could utter a word.
Undeterred, Hardison snorted. “Handcuffs.”
Parker nodded. “Handcuffs.”
Eliot tossed a pillow at Hardison’s face. “I’ll handcuff you if you don’t shut up.”
“You’d enjoy it too much,” Hardison said.
Nate loved watching his team when they were like this-unguarded, relaxed…happy. Letting out a breath, he cleared his throat. “Hey guys,” he said, loud enough to get their attention. “C’mere, I want to talk to you.” He motioned for them to join him at the table.
As Parker and Hardison took their seats, Nate plunked down in a chair, sat up straight, and clasped his hands in front of him. Eliot took his time getting to the table, his eyes boring a hole in Nate as he lowered himself into a chair.
Hardison spoke first. “My Nana used to call family meetings like this,” he said. “It was never for good news.”
Parker looked around. “Shouldn’t we wait for Sophie?”
Eliot folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. “That’s what he wants to talk to us about,” he said matter-of-factly.
Nate gazed at Eliot for a moment. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Parker sat straight up. “Is she dead?”
“No, Parker,” Nate said, shooting her a look. “She’s not dead. She just… wants to take a break. Sort some stuff out.”
“Wait. You and Sophie broke up?”
Nate shook his head violently. “No, we didn’t, we -we’re not together, Parker.”
“What’d you say to her?” Eliot asked, not bothering to hide the hint of accusation in his tone.
“I didn’t say anything to her,” Nate said. “She’s just trying to work some stuff out. She asked for time.”
“So,” Hardison said slowly. “We talking about a weekend shopping trip in Paris? A holiday at the spa?”
Nate combed his fingers through his hair. “She wasn’t sure.”
“So what you’re telling us,” Eliot said, poking the table in front of Nate with his index finger, “Is that she left the team.”
“Temporarily,” Nate said quickly. “Listen, this is about Sophie trying to figure out who she is right now, and we owe her that.”
Parker shifted in her chair. “Is she at least going to stay in touch?”
“She as her cell phone,” Nate said. “But I don’t want you bothering her. Give her some space. You know, think of it like she’s on a… vacation.”
“I’d call her if she was on a vacation,” Parker said.
“Well, you’re not going to call her now,” Nate said firmly.
“What if she gets kidnapped?” Parker said seriously. “We’ll never know. In fact, I think we should call her right now.” She stood up, apparently to retrieve her phone.
“She’s not gonna get kidnapped, Parker” Nate snapped, more loudly than he intended.
Parker stopped immediately and sat back down.
Eliot pointed at Nate. “You don’t have to yell at her. She’s just asking.”
Nate held up his hands. “I’m not yelling.”
“Sounds like yelling to me,” Hardison said.
“Listen,” Nate said more, his voice more controlled this time. “We’re gonna be all right. We’re gonna do what we do, and eventually, Sophie will figure stuff out, and she’ll come back.”
“Whatever,” Eliot said, leaning back in his chair.
The four of them sat quietly, none of them moving from their seats. Nate had suspected that the news wouldn’t go over well, and he really didn’t blame them. They’d forged a comfortable dynamic with each other, and now Sophie’s absence was leaving a gap in not just their team, but their lives. In his life, too.
“Listen, guys,” he said finally. “We are going to be okay.”
Next to him, Hardison nodded. “She’ll miss us so bad pretty soon, she’ll be begging to come back.”
“She’ll probably send us all an invitation to one of her stupid plays,” Eliot suggested.
Parker just nodded but didn’t say a word.
Nate let out a breath, silently grateful that they were coming around. “You know,” he said after a moment. “I wouldn’t want Sophie to get kidnapped.” He smiled at Parker. “So maybe we should call and check on. But just this once.”