Set post Season 5. Coffee always gives you the kick you need, even if it's a kick in the right direction. Eliot gets himself a girlfriend, but is she who she seems?
AN Sorry I really suck at summaries. All Leverage related characters are owned by people much smarter than me.
This story should be a 4 chapter, hopefully. It is the start of a larger story/series (once I get around to finishing them).
1
Eliot hadn't said a word to him since he arrived 50 minutes ago.
"Come on Man, it's not my fault he called in sick."
Eliot growled slightly while focusing on chopping and preparing the vegetables in front of him, trying to ignore Hardison.
"Jack'll be here soon. Just gotta take his kids to the sitter first."
Hardison looked for some sign that Eliot wasn't holding a grudge for being dragged in on a rare day off with no notice to set up the brewpub's kitchen for the day until another chef could get there. But Eliot wouldn't look at him.
"It's not like we got a job nor nothing."
"Dammit Hardison! I DO have a life ya know." Eliot growled as he slammed the flat of the knife on the chopping board and leaned against the counter with both hands, with a sigh.
Hardison jumped from the bang the knife made against the board, Eliot groaned inwardly Dammit I didn't mean that and was feeling a little guilty at taking his frustrations out on the young hacker.
He shook his head slightly "It's just I had plans." he said in an almost defeated tone.
Hardison studied Eliot for a minute, the man looks sharp today, not that he doesn't usually, but looks like he took a little extra care this morning, I mean how many products does that boy put in his hair to get it to bounce like that? Is that his favourite shirt? and then his eyes widened and he broke into a grin "You got a date. Bit early to be picking up some girl in a bar isn't it?" Hardison cocked his eyebrow and then pointed to his friend saying gleefully "Oooooh. It's that coffee girl..." his eyes wide as they could go "I'm right. Right? Dude when we gonna meet her; it's been like a month already. Gotta say I'm interested to see what kinda woman can put up with your grumpy ass for that long." the hacker exclaimed while dancing back out of Eliot's reach only to be hit in the head with a tomato.
"Hey no fair man, that's sooo not cool." Eliot chuckled quietly at Hardison's surprised hurt expression.
The kitchen door opened and Jack walked in as Hardison took the opportunity to escape and dashed through the door before it shut, running across the brewpub to the sanctuary of the back room. Watching his boss's retreating form running out the door with tomato seeds in his hair, Jack turned to Eliot "Do I want to know?"
Eliot let out a deep rumbling laugh and replied "Naw man, better if ya don't." untying the apron round his waist and handing it to the man in front of him "He's your problem now".
They'd met almost every day for the last month at slightly different times; being a vigilant careful man, he knew the importance of varying your routine.
Eliot opened the door to the coffee shop and looked hopefully at the corner table, his shoulders dropping a little when he saw it was empty dammit shoulda known she wouldn't wait this long.
He felt the hand reach for his shoulder more than saw it (that almost supernatural sixth sense that the team thought he had kicking in) and spun round to catch and counter any attack but the other person was just as quick and dodged out of his grasp with ease.
"Ease up there El, didn't mean to startle you. Spotted you when I was getting in the car. Didn't want you to think I'd stood you up."
Eliot looked into the green eyes of the 5'5" copper blond woman he'd came to meet "Shit, I'm sorry Darlin' wasn't thinkin'. I din't hurt you did I?"
"Never laid a finger on me Sweetie, but as an apology you can buy me a coffee seeing as the one I bought you ended up in the trash." She said with a slight smirk as they moved to the counter.
"Yeah, sorry bout that was running a little late." he ran a hand through his hair as he spoke.
As they walked over to 'their' table she playfully scolded "You know they have these new fangled things called cell phones. I don't know how they work but I've heard you can actually talk to people when you're not in the same place." She raised her eyebrow at him as they sat down.
"Ya know they say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit." Eliot told her with a crooked grin.
She smiled back, "But without it the world would be so dull and marriages would have no conversation at all."
Eliot laughed "Ya got me there Darlin'."
He found it easy to be in her company, they hadn't gotten any further than coffee yet, something he planned on changing, most of their coffees had lasted longer than some of his 'dates'.
They'd met at the coffee shop he usually stopped at a couple of blocks from the brewpub, the pretty blonde behind the counter was always eager to wait on him and flirt outrageously and he was only too happy to respond, (after all his momma raised him to have manners and it would be wrong not to, right?) by the time he was finished chatting his coffee was always ready at the other end of the counter, but the morning they'd met he hadn't really noticed the woman beside him, who was getting the same kind of treatment from the starry-eyed guy behind the counter, he'd picked up the coffee took a sip and nearly choked, "I think that might be mine." the voice beside him said, a light tone that he could hear the smile in before he turned around.
When they looked at both cups they both had what looked like E L written on them. "Chuck has a tendency to write on a squint and that looks like his V."
"I'm sorry, let me get you another."
"That's ok, swapping's fine by me. It's like having a food tester, at least I know it's not poisoned." she chuckled.
"It's kinda disgustin', you sure it ain't poisoned?" Eliot said, only half joking.
Shaking her head she replied "Sorry I need a kickstart in the morning, it's a quadruple shot."
She studied him for a minute, he was well groomed, beautiful blue eyes and longish dark hair, handsome, taller than her (not like that was hard for a guy) but not to tall (she didn't particularly like guys too tall), obviously worked out but there was something else. There was an air about him, an alertness, she could tell that even though his attention was currently focused on her, he could, without checking, tell her where everyone in the shop was sitting, not too shabby, probably ex-military, with that haircut he's definitely not current, could be worth an effort, suck it up girl, worst he can say is no. "Would you like to join me?"
Eliot nodded and followed her to the corner table. Nice choice, good all round view, this'll do. He was surprised because it was the table he would have chosen, given the chance.
She looked at his contemplative expression "Equal distance from both the front door and the back exit..." she said while pointing to the front door and the corridor leading past the restrooms "...and in clear view of everyone, a girl can't be too careful you know. Especially after inviting a perfect stranger to join her now can she?"
Cautious, aware of her surroundings, good quality to have, family in law enforcement maybe, not her but maybe a dad or a brother? I can deal with that Eliot grinned "Well we can rectify that I'm El….."
"El...yeah got that from the cup." she said cutting him off as she pointed to the coffee in his hand.
"Oh yeah. So you'd be Ev?"
"Uh…no." she replied, smiling, "Chuck got it wrong first time I came in here, never had the heart to tell him any different. It's Sarah…..Sarah Evans." she said holding out her hand to him "And it's nice to meet you El"
"Nice to meet you too, Sarah." he said as he shook her hand.
Nodding towards the cup in her hand he said "So a quadruple shot?" as he raised his eyebrows in a question.
"I don't sleep much so I need the caffeine in the morning, although I'm usually on decaf for the rest of the day."
"After that I think you'd have to be, it's no wonder you don't sleep much..." he responded before turning on his best southern boy charm smile "...not that a lack of beauty sleep's done ya any harm Darlin'."
She laughed "Really?! Does a line like that actually work?"
He grinned "Was worth a shot Right?" laughing along with her. Gotta love a girl with fire in her hair, an' those green eyes…unusual. Interesting accent, mainly Scottish, but slight touches from all over Europe. Lovely smile, it could melt ice. There was something about her that put him at ease.
"So El, what do you do?"
"I work in security, personal security, you?"
"I help out at a local rec centre. Do the admin, occasionally teach a class, keep the kids in check."
"Yeah? You like kids?"
"Couldn't eat a whole one." she said, then cringed "Oh god, I can't believe I said that." She shook her head covering her face with her hands as he chuckled slightly, looking back up at him as she continued "Seriously though, I like kids, although I'm glad I can hand them back at the end of the day though. Some of them are really hard work."
They spent the next 2 hours getting to know each other only leaving when Eliot got a call from Hardison about a job and arranged to 'bump' into each other the next day and that was how it started.