This is my first attempt at a multichapter Leverage fic. It follows the season 2 finale. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: No they are not mine

Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job, The Future Job, The Two Live Team Job.

Eliot threw one last look back at Nate before stepping into the helicopter. The mastermind had sunk to the ground and the cops were closing in. As the helicopter rose into the air Eliot took his seat beside Hardison and put his head in his hands.

Parker was studding the floor of the helicopter. Hardison was staring at the control panel in the front. Sophie was staring out the window trying to cry. Eliot shook his head. They did not know Nate had been shot, but he would have to tell them.

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"Why?" Parker asked Eliot. "We could have gotten out of it. We've been in worse situations before. We could have gotten out of it."

"Parker," Eliot told her gently, "we were out numbered ten to one. We couldn't have gotten out."

"We could have," Parker told him stubbornly.

Eliot sighed. "He couldn't have," Eliot told her.

"What?" Parker said confused.

"Nate was shot," Eliot told Parker.

"What?" Sophie asked as her tea cup slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor splashing what had to be scalding tea and china shards over Sophie's feet, but she did not seem to notice.

Eliot looked at Sophie. He had not intended for her to tell her that way, but there was no way that he could pretend he had not just said it. "Nate was shot," Eliot told her softly.

"Where was he shot?" Sophie asked her composer slipping a little bit.

"In the chest," Eliot told her.

"How do you know any of this?" Sophie asked trying not to sound as desperate as she was.

"I helped you into the helicopter then I looked back at Nate and he was collapsed against the railing," Eliot explained.

"Why didn't you tell us when you got into the helicopter?" Sophie asked.

"You would have want to go back," Eliot said,

"Of course I would have," Sophie replied almost angrily, "I would never have just left Nate there if I knew he was hurt."

"He wanted us to leave without him," Eliot reminded the grifter, "He knew that if he came with us he would be a liability."

"I don't care," Sophie told Eliot, "We are a team. We don't leave each other behind."

Sophie started to walk towards the living room but yelped in pain as she took a step. She had completely forgotten about the broken teacup. She nearly fell but Eliot caught her, and carried her over to a stool. "Stay there," he told her as he went to get the first aid kit. "Parker make sure she doesn't move," Eliot directed the thief who nodded.

There was silence for a couple of seconds. "Nate missed you," Parker told Sophie. "When you were gone. I mean we all missed you. There were a lot of times we wanted you to be there. Tara was a good grifter but she wasn't a good Sophie."

"A good Sophie?" the grifter asked.

"Yea," Parker said, "your always there to make sure nothing bad happens and if it does you make it okay. Like the psychic."

"The psychic?" Sophie asked.

"We ran a con against phony psychic," Eliot explained as walked back into the room, "he ran scams on people but when Nate and Parker were checking him out he did a cold read on Parker."

The grifter looked at the thief who had suddenly vanished and was cleaning up the china and tea from the kitchen floor.

"Eliot," Sophie asked slowly, "What did he figure out about Parker?"

"Her brother was killed at a young age and feels like it was her fault," Eliot told Sophie quietly, "It spooked her pretty badly. Now this might hurt a little bit but hold still."

Sophie nodded as he pulled a shard of china out her foot. He then quickly bandaged her foot so that the bleeding would stop. "Thank you," Sophie told him gingerly putting her weight on it.

"No problem." There was a pause and Sophie was almost to the door before Eliot spoke again. "Nate wanted us to be safe," Eliot told her, "He wanted all of us to be safe but especially you, Sophie."

Sophie nodded before disappearing down the hall into her room. Closing the door behind her, she sat down on the bed and stared out the window at the Vermont countryside. She had failed the team when she left because as she had told Eliot, team members don't leave each other behind. She had left the team. Sending Tara had been her solution and that worked all right because the team trusted Sophie not to send them someone who would kill them but Tara, as Parker had put it, was not a Sophie. Actually if Sophie was completely honest with herself that was part of the reason why she sent Tara.

She did not want to run the risk that the team would become to close to Tara and not want Sophie back when she was ready. They were, as Nate had told them, the only family she had known in a long time. She realized now that there would always be a space for her on the team. Nate would always make sure of that. Nate! Her thoughts returned to the all too painful subject of the teams leader and mastermind. He was somewhere alone and bleeding. Actually, he probably was pretty well guarded in the hospital because they needed his information.

Nate was the one who always came up with the plans and led the team and made sure everyone got home at the end of the day. Now he was the one who was missing and someone needed to save him. She could not shake the feeling that this whole thing was her fault. If she had not left, Nate would not have gone off the deep end and they would not have gotten in as deep as they did. Sophie stood up. The team had a new job to be done.

So there is the first chapter and I hope it isn't too bad. I will update ASAP but life is crazy right now. Please Review. Thanks!